Sacramento, CA —
While Republican and Democratic leadership from the Assembly and Senate looked on, Governor Schwarzenegger signed the California state budget on Friday, June 30, meeting the state constitutional deadline for the first time in six years. The legislature is now in recess until August 7, 2006. You can see the full budget on the website: www.ebudget.ca.gov/Enacted/StateAgencyBudgets/3000/3855/department.html.
Included in the budget is the full amount that was requested to support the new Sierra Nevada Conservancy, totaling $3.9 million with 20.5 positions. This budget should allow the Conservancy to begin implementation of its new Strategic Plan, released to the public on Friday, July 7, 2006. This plan will receive final review and approval by the Sierra Nevada conservancy Board at the July 20 meeting in Tulare County.
This Strategic Plan represents the efforts of hundreds of hours and dozens of volunteers working to create a Strategic Plan that can lead the way for the next 5 years of Sierra Nevada Conservancy activity. The final plan reflected significant comments from the community raised by earlier versions of the report. This final plan has been hailed by leaders in the Sierra as a visionary and responsive document.
“The final draft of the Strategic Plan includes a clear statement about the important role the Conservancy must play in protecting the natural resources of the Sierra, and reflects a grassroots democratic philosophy of working across a broad range of constituents and interests,” stated Elizabeth “Izzy” Martin, CEO of The Sierra Fund. “We are proud of the work that the Conservancy has done on this document.
For more information or to download a copy of the Plan, visit the Sierra Nevada Conservancy website: www.sierranevada.ca.gov
