People who fight for public lands took part in a major push in late September, meeting with lawmakers about the Protecting America’s Wilderness Act. The bill would safeguard more than one million acres across the Golden State and is supported by the Sierra Club and its Los Padres Chapter.
Jack Dyer, founder of Topa Topa Brewing Co. in Ventura, said his business depends on outdoor enthusiasts drawn to Los Padres National Forest and noted hiking, fishing and mountain bike riding are a key recreation worthy of protection.
During the last week of September, Dyer and almost two dozen others held a series of online meetings with members of Congress to ask that the bill be prioritized. It already passed the U.S. House in February, so now it’s up to the Senate to act. The measure contains several standalone bills that protect lands and rivers on the Central Coast, in parts of northwest California and in the San Gabriel Mountains.
Thomas Wong, a board member of the San Gabriel Valley Water District, said it’s especially critical that mountains behind Los Angeles be well-managed -- and this year’s devastating wildfires underscore that point.
“The San Gabriel Valley relies on the rain and snow that falls in the San Gabriel Mountains for a majority of our water supply,” he said. “It’s why we want to make sure we preserve the natural spaces of the watershed.”
Wong said heavily populated, lower-income communities also need better access to nature, and the pandemic has emphasized that need. In addition, he said, wildlife that inhabits public lands is even more dependent now on wildlife corridors as climate change affects their habitat.
The text of the Protecting America’s Wilderness Act (HR 2546) is online at: www.congress.gov