Sierra Club California-Nevada Wilderness Committee

Mission:

• Campaign, educate and collaborate to protect existing and potential federal and state wilderness areas within California and Nevada.
• Advocate for preservation of other public wildlands in California and Nevada through legislation, executive action, and appropriate management.
• Advance education to Sierra Club members and the public on the important values of wilderness, and promote wilderness as a key issue that remains important to the Sierra Club via online presence, meetings, tabling, newsletter, legislative lobbying, and through stewardship and wilderness study outings.

Officers:

 Specific Goals:

Our team received Grassroots Network grant funding to improve equity and inclusion of the 2021, 2022 and 2023 National Wilderness Stewardship Workshop (NWW), not only in terms of participation but also presenters and program content.  The 2022 National Wilderness Stewardship Workshop (NWW) was postponed until April of 2023 and our 2022 grant request was amended to reflect this change with funds transferred to service outings.  We want to continue this successful equity and relationship building partnership by sending several team members to the 2023 Workshop.

We will continue to actively improve stewardship of wilderness and other Lands and Waters by mentoring one or more outings leaders and by organizing 2-4 wilderness stewardship/study/advocacy outings with 6-20 participants, in partnership as appropriate with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), US Forest Service (USFS), National Park Service (NPS), and/or US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 

We will continue our work to advance the global movement to protect at least half of nature by building a successful 30x30 campaign in California and supporting the Toiyabe Chapter’s 30x30 work in the Range of Light Group (CA) and Nevada.  We will advocate for strong standards for ecosystem protection and restoration, advocate for the campaign’s identified “Local Conservation Priorities” across the state, and center social and racial justice and access to nature throughout planning and implementation.

We’ll continue working with the Toiyabe Chapter, national organizing staff in Nevada (Christian Gerlach), and our coalition partners to prevent the U.S. Air Force from expanding the Nevada Test and Training Site into the Desert National Wildlife Refuge, and prevent the Navy’s proposed expansion of Fallon.  The top goal is to keep the proposals out of defense spending authorizations and any legislation sponsored by the Nevada congressional delegation.  #Don’t Bomb the Bighorn!

We will collaborate with Sierra Nevada Forest Planning Coalition, Redwood and Mother Lode Chapters, and other partners on the expected PNW forest plan revision process where it affects California.  Our Wild America staff Alex Craven (based in Seattle) is assigned to help coordinate these challenging forest planning issues.

We plan to track and influence local, state and federal legislation and policies related to public lands and waters of California and Nevada in coordination with Sierra Club legislative staff, chapters, campaigns, other Grassroots Network teams (especially the national Wildlands and Wilderness Team), coalition partners, and other allies.  The focus in 2023 will be on supporting establishment of several new national monuments or other protected areas, exploring possible new wilderness legislation in the Sierra Nevada and Modoc Plateau and potentially also areas east of San Diego (with allies and partners coordinated by California Wilderness Coalition), and supporting four existing bills already before Congress.

     In all of these areas we are committed to implementing the Jemez Principles and elevating equity, inclusion and justice.