JOINT STRATEGY - 2022
The California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force was sufficiently inspired by "CALREC Vision: Cross-Jurisdictional Collaboration to Advance Sustainable Outdoor Recreation in California,” the white paper sponsored by the Mammoth Lakes Trails and Public Access Foundation (MLTPA), to task MLTPA with the establishment, convening, and facilitation of a Key Working Group to produce and deliver Key Actions 3.13 and 3.14 from California’s Wildfire & Forest Resilience Action Plan, which will include a Joint Strategy for Sustainable Outdoor Recreation in California.
In 2020, MLTPA convened and facilitated federal, state, and regional participants as an advisory committee which met over several months to produce the CALREC Vision White Paper.
KEY WORKING GROUP
First convened in November of 2021, the Sustainable Recreation/CALREC Vision Key Working Group (SRCRV), which includes 18 representatives from State of California and Federal agencies, is meeting monthly to produce a joint strategy to improve access to sustainable outdoor recreation consistent with action item #7 of a recent shared stewardship agreement between the U.S. Forest Service and the State of California - "Agreement For Shared Stewardship of California’s Forest and Rangelands" - which was executed in August of 2020.
The SRCRV anticipates a number of additional outcomes to complement the delivery of Key Actions 3.13 and 3.14 and enhance cross jurisdictional collaboration including GIS and spatial documentation of outdoor recreation infrastructure and activities throughout the state for integration into data sets being produced for the California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force. The SRCRV will also engage with affiliate organizations, tribes, thought leaders, and technical experts identified as sustainable recreation practitioners as part of an “all California lands and waters” approach to its work.
CROSS-JURISDICTIONAL COLLABORATION
“The case for statewide cross-jurisdictional collaboration is clear. Catastrophic wildfires and other consequences of climate change have demonstrated the necessity for coordination among agencies, local governments, and organizations that collectively face destructive impacts to communities, forests, and recreation resources. Greater demand for equitable access to outdoor recreation for all Californians has highlighted systemic Institutional and cultural barriers that have excluded underserved communities from the outdoors.”
MOVING COLLABORATION FORWARD...
• AB 32 Climate Change Scoping Plan (Air Resources Board)
• Access for All Initiative (California Natural Resources Agency)
• California 2030: Natural and Working Lands Climate Change Implementation Plan (Air Resources Board)
• Cutting Green Tape Initiative (California Natural Resources Agency)
• Health in All Policies (Strategic Growth Council)
• Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program (Governor's Office of Planning and Research)
• Local Government General Plan Guidance (Governor's Office of Planning and Research)
CALREC Vision endeavors to create functional alignments between policy goals of the State of California and Sustainable Recreation.
Sustainable Recreation/CALREC Vision Key Working Group Members
Co-Lead for the State of California: Angela Avery - Sierra Nevada Conservancy, Executive Officer
Co-Lead for the U.S. Forest Service: Jim Bacon - U.S. Forest Service, Director Public Services Region 5
Andrew Burrows - Bureau of Land Management, California Lead Outdoor Recreation Planner
Kevin Wright - California Landscape Stewardship Network; Government & External Affairs Manager/Marin County Parks
Alexandra (Alex) Stehl - California State Parks, Senior Park & Rec Specialist at California State Parks
Matt Driscoll - Sierra Nevada Conservancy, Eastern Sierra Area Representative
Norma Edith Garcia-Gonzalez - Los Angeles County Department of Parks & Recreation, Director
Paul Michel - NOAA, NOAA Sanctuaries West Coast Region, Regional Policy Coordinator
Ray Murray - National Park Service, Chief, Partnerships, Pacific West Region
Haley Caruso - Recreate Responsibly California, Co-Lead; REI
Katherine Toy - California Natural Resources Agency, Deputy Secretary for Access
Nora Campbell - U.S. Forest Service, Presidential Fellow Region 5
THE CALREC VISION
“The California dream is a reality because millions continue to be inspired by the unique natural landscapes that define the state. But of California’s 100 million acres and the 47 million available for recreation, only 2 million are managed by state agencies, the balance being managed by the federal government."
”Now is the time to direct stewardship-focused collaboration across all agencies of government to create functional alignments and establish truly sustainable outdoor recreation for all Californians.”
