PASSED THE ASSEMBLY AUGUST 28, 2002
PASSED THE SENATE AUGUST 19, 2002

Voting Record (off-site link)

Senate Joint Resolution No. 52--Relative to the California Wild Heritage Act of 2002.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SJR 52, Kuehl. California Wild Heritage Act of 2002.
This measure would memorialize the President of the United States and Congress to enact S. 2535, the California Wild Heritage Act of 2002.

WHEREAS, California's public lands contain an invaluable and irreplaceable diversity of ecosystems; and

WHEREAS, Increasing population growth and expansion of urban and suburban developments threaten the integrity of many of these ecosystems; and

WHEREAS, These ecosystems provide critical habitat to native flora and fauna, 293 of which are listed as rare, threatened, or endangered; and

WHEREAS, Protection and maintenance of these wildlands preserves the health of watersheds essential to safe and good quality water for agricultural uses and human consumption; and

WHEREAS, Many of California's wild lands include sites, including flora and fauna sacred and spiritually valuable to Native American tribes; and

WHEREAS, The deserts, coasts, riparian areas, mountains, valleys, and chaparral of California have shaped the history and the cultural heritage of California; and

WHEREAS, Protection and maintenance of California's wild and scenic rivers is an essential component of the survival and recovery of threatened salmon and other fish species; and

WHEREAS, Conservation and restoration of California's natural resources also benefits our recreation and tourism industries; and

WHEREAS, Senator Barbara Boxer has authored the California Wild Heritage Act of 2002 to protect 81 areas, totaling 2.5 million publicly held acres of the state scattered throughout 36 counties; and

WHEREAS, The California Wild Heritage Act of 2002 designates 22 wild and scenic rivers totaling 440 miles of riparian systems; and

WHEREAS, The California Wild Heritage Act of 2002 protects the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest where the oldest living trees have flourished in the harsh environment of the White-Inyo Mountain range for over 4,000 years; and

WHEREAS, The California Wild Heritage Act of 2002 provides enhanced protections critical for the continued conservation of unique and fragile areas of coastal, chaparral, pinon-juniper, mountain, forest and desert habitat currently classified as National Forest, National Park, or Bureau of Land Management Lands; and

WHEREAS, The California Wild Heritage Act of 2002 designates Cache Creek and the East Fork of the Carson River as "Wild and Scenic Rivers Study Areas"; and

WHEREAS, The California Wild Heritage Act of 2002 establishes the "Sacramento River National Conservation Area"; and

WHEREAS, The California Wild Heritage Act of 2002 balances the needs of the military, agricultural, law enforcement, firefighting, and recreational-use communities with the intrinsic environmental value of the wilderness areas; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and Assembly of the State of California jointly, That the Legislature respectfully memorializes the President and the United States Congress to enact S.2535, the California Wild Heritage Act of 2002, as introduced by Senator Barbara Boxer, and to be introduced by Representatives Hilda Solis and Mike Thompson; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chairpersons of the House and Senate Taxation Committees, and to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States.