BILL NUMBER: ACR 22 CHAPTERED
BILL TEXT
RESOLUTION CHAPTER 167
FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE SEPTEMBER 10, 2015
ADOPTED IN SENATE AUGUST 31, 2015
ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY SEPTEMBER 1, 2015
AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 17, 2015
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JULY 2, 2015
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Dahle
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Bigelow, Harper, Mark Stone, Waldron,
Achadjian, Alejo, Travis Allen, Atkins, Baker, Bloom, Bonilla,
Bonta, Brough, Burke, Calderon, Campos, Chang, Chau, Chávez, Chiu,
Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Dababneh, Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Beth
Gaines, Gallagher, Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez,
Gordon, Gray, Grove, Hadley, Roger Hernández, Holden, Irwin, Jones,
Kim, Lackey, Levine, Linder, Lopez, Low, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes,
McCarty, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell,
Olsen, Patterson, Perea, Quirk, Rendon, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez,
Salas, Steinorth, Thurmond, Ting, Wagner, Weber, Wilk, Williams, and
Wood)
(Coauthor: Senator Gaines)
FEBRUARY 10, 2015
Relative to Sierra Nevada Watershed Protection Week.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
ACR 22, Dahle. Sierra Nevada Watershed Protection Week.
This measure would declare the week of September 13, 2015, through
September 19, 2015, and the third week of September every year
thereafter, as provided, as Sierra Nevada Watershed Protection Week.
The measure would applaud public schools that include watershed
protection in the Sierra Nevada Region as part of their outdoor
education curriculum whenever possible during the month of September.
The measure would also commend state, federal, and local agencies,
along with nongovernmental organizations for working cooperatively to
achieve the goal of increasing the pace and scale of watershed and
forest restoration in the region with the Sierra Nevada Conservancy
playing a key role in the development of a plan and program to
address these issues.
WHEREAS, The Sierra Nevada Conservancy was established in
bipartisan fashion to initiate, encourage, and support efforts that
improve the environmental, economic, and social well-being of the
Sierra Nevada, its communities, and the citizens of California; and
WHEREAS, The Sierra Nevada Region encompasses 25 million acres and
is the origin of more than 60 percent of California's developed
water supply; and
WHEREAS, Forests of the Sierra Nevada Region store massive amounts
of carbon and present an immediate opportunity to assist the state
in meeting the objectives of the California Global Warming Solutions
Act of 2006; and
WHEREAS, The region is the primary source of fresh water flowing
into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta; and
WHEREAS, The Sierra Nevada Region draws visitors from around the
United States and the world, with Yosemite National Park alone
bringing in nearly four million visitors per year; and
WHEREAS, Many of the forests in the Sierra Nevada Region are
overgrown and unhealthy, putting them at extreme risk of
uncharacteristically large and damaging fires, with this year likely
to establish the highest number of acres burned in a single decade in
the recorded history of the Sierra Nevada; and
WHEREAS, The impacts of these fires include massive emissions of
greenhouse gases and air pollutants, as well as a dramatic increase
in sedimentation of streams and reservoirs and the loss of crucial
habitat and recreational opportunities; and
WHEREAS, Agriculture and tourism in the Sierra Nevada Region are
key economic drivers in the state, and the values and services coming
out of the region, such as clean water and energy, are critical to
the state's overall economic health; and
WHEREAS, The legacy of Gold Rush era mining has resulted in
impairments to water quality from more than 20,000 abandoned mines,
of which more than 3,000 are known to contain chemical hazards, that
are the primary source of mercury for the San Francisco Bay and the
Delta; and
WHEREAS, The Great Sierra River Cleanup is the premier volunteer
event focused on removing trash and restoring the health of waterways
throughout the Sierra Nevada Region and is held in conjunction with
California Coastal Cleanup Day; and
WHEREAS, During the first six years of the Great Sierra River
Cleanup, more than 23,000 volunteers have joined together to remove
more than 600 tons of trash and recyclables from watersheds
throughout the Sierra Nevada Region; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature acknowledges the critical
role the Sierra Nevada Region plays in California's economy and
environment and the wide range of benefits, products, amenities, and
resources originating in the Sierra Nevada, and acknowledges the
benefits of proactive restoration of the watersheds and forests of
the region; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature commends the state, federal, and
local agencies, along with nongovernmental organizations, for working
cooperatively to achieve the goal of increasing the pace and scale
of watershed and forest restoration in the region with the Sierra
Nevada Conservancy playing a key role in the development of a plan to
address these issues; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature applauds the public schools that
include watershed protection in the Sierra Nevada Region as part of
their outdoor education curriculum whenever possible during the month
of September; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature calls upon all Californians to
acknowledge the multiple benefits flowing from the Sierra Nevada
Region through observance of Sierra Nevada Watershed Protection Week;
and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature declares the week of September 13,
2015, through September 19, 2015, and the third week of September,
beginning on the third Sunday of the month, every year thereafter, as
Sierra Nevada Watershed Protection Week, with the purpose of
expanding the acknowledgment of the region's contributions to a
higher quality of life for all Californians; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.