Sacramento, CA — On July 12, the Power in Nature Coalition released the following statement regarding Governor Newsom’s 2023-2024 budget.
Statement from Angela Kemsley, Conservation Director of WILDCOAST and a member of the Power in Nature coalition:
“We are pleased to see that the state’s final budget agreement restores funding originally proposed to be cut from programs that are critical to addressing the climate crisis. This includes $1.224 million to support staffing at the California Natural Resources Agency for the implementation of the 30×30 strategy, $32 million for the Wildlife Conservation Board for watershed protection, $20 million to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) for fine-scale vegetation mapping of the state, more than $10 million for the establishment of Dos Rios Ranch as a new state park in the nature-deprived Central Valley and to manage new park lands within the Sonoma Development Center, and $5 million for CalFire’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience monitoring efforts.
“We thank the Newsom Administration and the State legislature for their leadership, and for listening to requests from our coalition and advocates statewide to continue investing in these efforts.
“At the same time, we remain concerned that the final budget significantly reduced original multi-year commitments for 30×30 funding for the State Coastal Conservancy and the other state conservancies, CDFW’s Natural Community Conservation Planning program, the Climate Smart Lands Program, and other important climate initiatives throughout the state. Reducing funding for these programs will hinder our ability to achieve the state’s conservation, climate, and equity goals by 2030.
“We look forward to working with the Administration on a robust Climate and Natural Resources Bond with at least $5 billion in additional funding for 30×30-related projects in 2025 and beyond.”
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About the Power in Nature Coalition
Power In Nature is a statewide coalition of over 100 community groups, environmental and conservation organizations, land trusts, indigenous organizations and tribal members dedicated to advancing California’s 30×30 commitment. The Power In Nature coalition has identified nearly 100 potential 30×30 projects across the state and works on a broad range of issues including biodiversity protection, climate resilience, equity, recreation, outdoor access and social justice.
For more information, visit powerinnature.org.
