(Left) Assemblyman Frank Bigelow
Non-voting board seats for members of the Assembly and Senate were created last year by Assembly Bill 985 (Dahle). The bill’s goal was to build legislative awareness of the work of the Sierra Nevada Conservancy and the importance of Sierra Nevada’s forests and watersheds to all Californians.
“I am thankful to Speaker Anthony Rendon for this appointment. Even if you live in Los Angeles and only visit the Sierra on an occasional camping trip, water that flows from the Sierra Nevada is probably coming out of your kitchen faucet,” Dahle said. “The drought has left nearly 30 million dead trees in the Sierra, setting the stage for even more dangerous fire seasons. Megafires threaten local communities, but they’re not just a local problem. They cost the state hundreds of millions to contain and can ruin water quality for millions of users downstream.”
Six members of the Sierra Nevada Conservancy’s board represent counties from the region. Dahle and Bigelow both previously served on the Conservancy board as County Supervisors.
“I’m honored to be appointed to the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, and am looking forward to working for our communities,” Bigelow said. “It will be outstanding to serve the region with Assemblyman Dahle in this new capacity.”
The Sierra Nevada Conservancy’s Watershed Improvement Program, launched last year, aims to promote awareness of the Sierra’s forest health problems – and to build workable solutions among state agencies, the U.S. Forest Service, and private landowners. For more information about the WIP, visit RestoreTheSierra.org.
Source: Assemblyman Frank Bigelow
