Ecosystem Stewardship

Key Advocacy Goal

To ensure ecosystem health through restoration, acquisition and habitat enhancement and improved efficiencies in regulatory approvals.

• Provide a diversified system of regional parklands, trails and related services that will offer outstanding opportunities for creative use of outdoor time.
• Acquire and preserve significant biologic, geologic, scenic and historic resources within Alameda and Contra Costa counties.
• Manage, maintain and restore the parklands so that they retain their important scenic, natural and cultural values.

Survey Identified Voter/Community Support

• In a November 2021 survey, 98% of respondents identified protection of natural habitat for wildlife and resiliency to be extremely/very/somewhat important.
• In this same survey, improving water quality of urban creeks via trail maintenance and erosion management was identified as extremely/very/somewhat important to 98% of respondents.
• 98% of respondents also believe investments in improving the health of lakes in District parks to be extremely/very/somewhat important.
• Within this same survey, 70% of respondents confirmed increased wildlife conservation and natural habitat protection to be extremely / very important.

2021-2022 Board Supported Legislation

The following legislative initiatives are supported by the East Bay Regional Park District Board of Directors and Legislative Committee:

State

• AB 564 (Gonzalez D-San Diego) Biodiversity Protection and Restoration Act
• AB 614 (Aguilar-Curry D-Winters) Nesting Bird Habitat Incentive Program (Chaptered)

Federal

• H.R. 803 (DeGette D-CO) Protecting America’s Wilderness and Public Lands Act
• S. 557 (Collins R-ME) and HR 1548 (Cartwright D-PA) Native Plant Species Pilot Program
• S. 809 (Merkley D-OR) and HR 1983 (Panetta D-CA) Monarch, Action, Recovery and Conservation Habitat (MONARCH) Act