BILL NUMBER: ACR 22	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Dahle
   (Coauthors: Assembly Members Bigelow, Harper, Mark Stone, and
Waldron)
   (Coauthor: Senator Gaines)

                        FEBRUARY 10, 2015

   Relative to Sierra Nevada Watershed Protection Week.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   ACR 22, as introduced, 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 Sierra Nevada Watershed Protection Week. The measure
would encourage public schools to include watershed protection in the
Sierra Nevada as part of their outdoor education curriculum whenever
possible during the month of September. The measure would also
encourage state, federal, and local agencies, along with
nongovernmental organizations to work cooperatively towards the goal
of increasing the pace and scale of watersheds and forest restoration
in the region and would urge the Sierra Nevada Conservancy to play a
key role in development of a plan and program to address these
issues.
   Fiscal committee: yes.



   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 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; 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 encourages the
proactive restoration of the watersheds and forests of the region;
and be it further
   Resolved, That the Legislature encourages state, federal, and
local agencies, along with nongovernmental organizations, to work
cooperatively towards the goal of increasing the pace and scale of
watershed and forest restoration in the region and urges the Sierra
Nevada Conservancy to play a key role in development of a plan and
program to address these issues; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Legislature encourages public schools to
include watershed protection in the Sierra Nevada 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
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
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.