On Earth Day, April 22, 2024, EPIC's 30x30 Coordinator, Josefina Barrantes, took to the California State Capitol with the Power in Nature Coalition to advocate for a number of bills regarding statewide, climate bond funding, and better conservation of the Jackson Demonstration State Forest. EPIC leads the Far Northern Regional Group of the Power in Nature Coalition, which is made up of over 100 different environmental and tribal organizations, land trusts and community groups all working together to further 30x30 in the state. 30x30 is an international and codified California State goal to conserve 30% of lands and coastal waters by the year 2030.
In working towards our State 30x30 goal, the Power in Nature Coalition organizes an annual “Advocacy Day,” in which our seven regional groups meet with each of our in-district representatives at the State Capitol in Sacramento. The Far Northern Regional Group met with Assemblymember Jim Wood and Senator McGuire’s new Environmental Policy Consultant, James Barba.
In meetings we discussed our legislative priorities, which aim to protect and restore wetlands, facilitate coordination and cross-agency alignment on 30x30, pass a climate bond in order to create a stable funding source to meet our 30x30 goals, advance fish and wildlife connectivity, promote equity and access to the outdoors, advance ocean science, and support the designation of national monuments. Among these priorities, we highlighted the need for California to invest in a climate bond, and presented staffers and members with a list of priorities as to how a future climate bond should be spent in order to help us meet our conservation goals.
A climate bond is imperative if we are to meet our 30x30 goal. Acquisition and restoration projects cannot continue if there is no funding for the programs and conservancies (like the Wildlife Conservation Board and the Coastal Conservancy) that give grants to land trusts, Tribal groups, and environmental organizations that do the important on-the-ground-work. A climate bond will ensure that there is future funding for conservation projects through at least 2030.