Participated in America the Beautiful for All Coalition DC Fly-in. Along with 100+ environmental groups, we educated decision-makers about solutions to the inequitable nature crisis, climate change, and mass extinction. We met with several congressional offices and committees and voiced your concerns directly to the Department of Interior, USDA, and the U.S. Forest Service.
Successfully helped re-introduce theCentral Coast Heritage Protection Act. The Act would designate nearly 250,000 acres of public land in the Los Padres National Forest and Carrizo Plain National Monument as wilderness, the highest form of federal protection available. The legislation, introduced by Rep. Carbajal, won the approval of the full House this year and, for the first time, passed a critical Senate committee.
Advocated for the successful re-introduction of the PUBLIC Lands Act. U.S. Senator Padilla re-introduced The Protecting Unique and Beautiful Landscapes by Investing in California (PUBLIC) Lands Act which would increase protections for public lands throughout California, including the central coast. The legislation aims to protect one million acres of public lands.
Celebrated President Biden’s proclamation to make September National Wilderness Month, a renewed commitment to protecting our wilderness areas and ensuring their splendor is passed down to future generations. Thanks in part to our region’s conservation heroes over the last half-century, 49% of the Los Padres National Forest is designated as wilderness, the highest level of protection federal lands can receive.
Participated in an environmental roundtable with both Rep. Grijalva (the Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee) and Rep. Carbajal to strongly advocate for public lands protections. We advocated for community-based wildfire solutions and for home hardening bipartisan legislation to be at the forefront of the federal environmental agenda in 2024.
Advocated for federal protections for mature and old-growth forests. The U.S. Forest Service announced a rulemaking process that could create new protections for mature and old-growth forests across the country. We joined 100+ environmental groups to request that the administration make concrete progress to advance rulemaking to protect these forests from logging and other threats.
Spoke at the 2023 Ventura County Toxic Tour. This December, we led Doug Ito, California’s Oil and Gas Supervisor, and several California Department of Conservation leaders to visit oil drilling infrastructure sites and hear testimony from communities who suffer from asthma, birth defects, and cancer linked to living near these heavy polluting sites.
Signed onto 80+ letters with other conservation and tribal groups across the country to demand protections. Throughout the year, we voiced our support for stronger protections for public lands at the local, state, and federal levels. We signed onto letters opposing harmful legislation, such as H.R.1 “Lower Energy Costs Act”, which makes sweeping changes to the National Environmental Policy Act, prioritizing polluter profits over public health.
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