AB 3147: California Trails Conservancy Program.
- Session Year: 2023-2024
- House: Assembly
- Latest Version Date: 2024-03-21
Current Status:
Failed
(2024-05-16: In committee: Held under submission.)
Introduced
In Committee
First Chamber
In Committee
Second Chamber
Enacted
Existing law establishes the Natural Resources Agency, composed of departments, boards, conservancies, and commissions responsible for the restoration, protection, and management of the states natural and cultural resources.
This bill would establish in the agency the California Trails Conservancy Program. The bill would require the program to have specified purposes, including promoting enhanced and expanded environmentally sound greenways and trail networks. If the agency determines that it would benefit these purposes, the bill would authorize the agency to establish an ad hoc working group with specified members, including a representative from the Department of Parks and Recreation.
This bill would also make its provisions operative contingent on Section 2 of Assembly Bill 1567 of the 202324 Regular Session taking effect on or before January 1, 2025.
This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact subsequent legislation to create the California Trails Conservancy within the Natural Resources Agency.Existing law establishes the Natural Resources Agency, composed of departments, boards, conservancies, and commissions responsible for the restoration, protection, and management of the states natural and cultural resources.
This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact subsequent legislation to create the California Trails Conservancy within the Natural Resources Agency.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a)Trails are nature-based, mobility networks connecting people to the splendor of the outdoors and nonmotorized linkages between communities, enabling passive and active recreational enjoyment for all.
(b)The bulk of Californias diverse natural outdoor wonders, including its coast, deserts, and mountainous terrains, can be best experienced by trail.
(c)Natural surface trails and other human-powered mobility corridors are the connective tissue between the built and natural environments, which link the motorized to the nonmotorized. These trails and corridors are the intersection between human and nature interface, providing valuable exposure and engagement to the states natural landscapes and parks, which are rich with unparalleled aesthetics.
(d)The popularity of trails and trail use soared during the COVID-19 pandemic and established a new and sustained outdoor constituency.
(e)Through trail-driven, nature-based exposures, California is galvanizing a new generation of environmental stewards with a shared purpose.
(f)Trails are an emerging economic driver in many California communities, helping rural California and elsewhere to both prop up the economy and reverse trends resulting from revenue losses rooted in transitions from natural resource-based economies.
(g)The growing popularity and need for trails were underscored during the awarding of funding through the California Drought, Water, Parks, Climate, Coastal Protection, and Outdoor Access For All Act of 2018, as approved by the voters at the June 5, 2018, statewide election. As a result of the passage of the act, the demand for program funding was five dollars ($5) for every one dollar ($1) awarded.
(h)Trail use and enjoyment, such as trails associated with networks, including the Coachella Valley Link, also serve a utility, providing seamless, nonmotorized commuter corridors while reducing local traffic patterns and resultant pollutants.
(i)Trail demand is growing throughout the state, and it is incumbent upon California to meet this need where trails scarcities exist, such as areas in and around the Coachella Valley and Salton Sea.
(j)Emerging trends in trail use, including electric bicycles and other mobility devices, are leading to increased use and user conflicts, resulting in increased injuries and accidents and accelerating the degradation of natural and other surface type trails.
(k)Unlawful trail development and patterns of rogue trail activities resulting from various factors, including a scarcity of dedicated trails infrastructure, compromises the environmental, recreational, and aesthetic values of the states landscapes, fragmenting habitat and inducing unwanted erosion.
(l)Californias various land managers have vast networks of trails, prompting the need for a single entity established to, among other things, facilitate the coordination of efforts to plan for and promote seamless, multijurisdictional trails and trail linkages through increased use of memorandums of understanding, shared use, volunteer agreements, and trail easements between public, private, and nonprofit managers in order to maximize trail opportunities.
SEC. 2.Chapter 8.5 (commencing with Section 5829.5) is added to Division 5 of the Public Resources Code, to read:8.5.California Trails Conservancy Program5829.5.(a)There is hereby established in the Natural Resources Agency the California Trails Conservancy Program. The purposes of the program are all of the following:
(1)To promote enhanced and expanded environmentally sound greenways and trail networks.
(2)To promote equitable access and expand diverse trail-based recreational and mobility opportunities for all Californians.
(3)To promote policies, practices, and funding opportunities in order to optimize the continued growth and integrity of existing and prospective systems of nature-based and other human-powered mobility networks for the benefit of all Californians.
(b)If the agency determines that it would benefit the purposes of the program, as described in subdivision (a), the agency may form an ad hoc working group. The working group may be composed of members from the hiking community, the equestrian community, the mountain biking community, the environmental justice community, the land trust and conservation community, and the tribal or the Native American community, members from a California-based outdoor enterprise or company, and representatives from the department, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Wildlife Conservation Board, the State Coastal Conservancy, the various state conservancies, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the federal Bureau of Reclamation, the United States National Parks Service, and the United States Forest Service.
SEC. 3.This act shall become operative only if Section 2 of Assembly Bill 1567 of the 202324 Regular Session takes effect on or before January 1, 2025.
SECTION 1.It is the intent of the Legislature to enact subsequent legislation to create the California Trails Conservancy within the Natural Resources Agency.It is the intent of the Legislature to enact subsequent legislation to create the California Trails Conservancy within the Natural Resources Agency.
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Date
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Status
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| May 16, 2024 | In committee: Held under submission. |
| Apr 24, 2024 | In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file. |
| Apr 16, 2024 | From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (April 15). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. |
| Apr 1, 2024 | Re-referred to Com. on NAT. RES. |
| Mar 21, 2024 | From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on NAT. RES. Read second time and amended. |
| Mar 21, 2024 | Referred to Com. on NAT. RES. |
| Feb 17, 2024 | From printer. May be heard in committee March 18. |
| Feb 16, 2024 | Read first time. To print. |
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Date
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Description
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Location
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Votes
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| Apr 15, 2024 | Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar | Assembly Standing Committee on Natural Resources |
Passed |
This list shows positions taken on this bill by organizations on the date displayed, which is linked to the original source.
Positions by individuals are not included.
Date of Hearing: April 24, 2024
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Buffy Wicks, Chair
ABPCA Bill Id:AB 3147
Author:(Garcia) – As Amended Ver:March 21, 2024
Policy Committee: | Natural Resources | Vote: | 10 - 0 |
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: No Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY:
This bill establishes the California Trails Conservancy Program at the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA).
Specifically, this bill:
- Establishes in CNRA the California Trails Conservancy Program to:
- Promote enhanced and expanded environmentally sound greenways and trail networks.
- Promote equitable access and expand diverse trail-based recreational and mobility opportunities for all Californians.
- Promote policies, practices, and funding opportunities in order to optimize the continued growth and integrity of existing and prospective systems of nature-based and other human-powered mobility networks for the benefit of all Californians.
- Authorizes CNRA, if it determines that it would benefit the purposes of the program, to form an ad hoc working group, as specified.
- Provides that this bill shall only become operative if Section 2 of AB 1567 (Garcia) of the current legislative session takes effect on or before January 1, 2025.
FISCAL EFFECT:
Cost pressure of an unknown but potentially significant amount, likely in the tens of millions of dollars, to fund the proposed California Trails Conservancy Program (General Fund or bond funds). As noted above, this bill will become operative only if AB 1567 (Garcia) takes effect on or before January 1, 2025. AB 1567 includes $25 million in general obligation (GO) bond funds for the creation of a California Trails Conservancy. CNRA notes it would likely request 5% of any allocation for purposes of this program to cover its implementation costs. For example, if the program is allocated $25 million, CNRA’s costs would be approximately $1.25 million.
According to the Legislative Analyst’s Office, the General Fund faces a structural deficit in the tens of billions of dollars over the next several fiscal years.
COMMENTS:
1) Purpose. According to the author:
California’s trails are the intersection between human and nature interface, providing valuable exposure and engagement to the state’s natural landscapes and parks, which are rich with unparalleled aesthetics. Trail demand is growing throughout the state and is an emerging economic driver in many California communities…AB 3147 will promote equitable access and create a forum to better advance policies, practices, and funding opportunities to optimize the continued growth of existing and prospective California trail systems.
2) Background. Trails offer a direct conduit to Californians to access nature and exercise. State Parks manages more than 3,000 miles of trails and its surveys have shown that the state’s trails provide experiences that attract more users than any other type of recreational facility. Trails can be used for hiking, running, horseback riding, mountain biking, bird watching, dog walking, backpacking, and more.
The California Recreational Trails Act, passed in 1974, requires the director of State Parks to prepare and maintain a comprehensive plan for the development and operation of a statewide system of recreation trails. AB 1789 (Bennett), Chapter 522, Statutes of 2022, requires State Parks to prepare a full update of this plan by January 1, 2024. State Parks expects to complete the plan update by summer of 2025.
The fiscal year (FY) 2022-23 budget allocated $35 million for CNRA’s Recreational Trails and Greenways Program. In response to a multibillion dollar deficit, the subsequent FY 2023-24 budget reduced this allocation to $10 million. State Parks is developing new guidelines for this program and will be soliciting applications in FY 2024-25. The Parks, Environment, and Water Bond Act of 2018 (Proposition 68) included $30 million for the Trails and Greenways Investment Program, administered by CNRA, which has a remaining balance of $32,000.
The Recreational Trails Program is administered at the federal level by the Federal Highway Administration and at the state level by State Parks and the Department of Transportation’s Active Transportation Program. Since 1993, $60 million in RTP grants have helped create or improve 300 nonmotorized trails and facilities throughout California. Earlier this year, State Parks recommended $6.7 million to the program for seven local nonmotorized trail projects.
3) Related Legislation. AB 1567 (Garcia) authorizes approximately $16 billion in GO bonds for safe drinking water, wildfire prevention, drought preparation, flood protection, extreme heat mitigation, clean energy, and workforce development programs. AB 1567 includes $25 million for the creation of a California Trails Conservancy and $25 million for the creation of the Office of Outdoor Recreation and Equitable Access. This bill creates a framework for the establishment and allocation of funds pursuant to provisions in AB 1567, which calls for a California Trails Conservancy. AB 1567 is pending in the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee.
Analysis Prepared by: Nikita Koraddi / APPR. / (916) 319-2081
Date of Hearing: April 15, 2024
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES
Isaac G. Bryan, Chair
ABPCA Bill Id:AB 3147 (
Author:Garcia) – As Amended Ver:March 21, 2024
SUBJECT: California Trails Conservancy Program
SUMMARY: Establishes the California Trails Conservancy Program.
EXISTING LAW:
- Establishes the California Natural Resources Agency (NRA) and vests it with the responsibility to restore, protect, and manage the state’s natural, historical, and cultural resources for current and future generations. (Government Code 12805)
- Establishes the Equitable Outdoor Access Act and sets forth the state’s commitment to ensuring all Californians can benefit from, and have meaningful and sustainable access to, the state’s rich cultural and natural resources. (Public Resources Code (PRC) 1000)
- Requires the director of the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to prepare, and continuously maintain, a comprehensive plan for the development and operation of a statewide system of recreation trails, which is known as the California Recreational Trails System Plan (Trails Plan). Requires the Trails Plan to present and future demand for trail-oriented recreation uses, recommend an integrated and interconnecting system of trail routes, and recommend priorities for funding. (PRC 5070.7)
THIS BILL:
- Establishes in NRA the California Trails Conservancy Program. Establishes the purposes of the program as all of the following:
- To promote enhanced and expanded environmentally sound greenways and trail networks;
- To promote equitable access and expand diverse trail-based recreational and mobility opportunities for all Californians; and,
- To promote policies, practices, and funding opportunities in order to optimize the continued growth and integrity of existing and prospective systems of nature-based and other human-powered mobility networks for the benefit of all Californians.
- Authorizes NRA, if NRA determines that it would benefit the purposes of the program, to form an ad hoc working group. The working group may be composed of members from the hiking community, the equestrian community, the mountain biking community, the environmental justice community, the land trust and conservation community, and the tribal or the Native American community, members from a California-based outdoor enterprise or company, and representatives from the department, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Wildlife Conservation Board, the State Coastal Conservancy, the various state conservancies, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the federal Bureau of Reclamation, the United States National Parks Service, and the United States Forest Service.
- Provides that this bill shall only become operative if Assembly Bill 1567 of the 2023–24 Regular Session takes effect on or before January 1, 2025.
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
COMMENTS:
- Author’s statement:
California’s trails are the intersection between human and nature interface, providing valuable exposure and engagement to the state’s natural landscapes and parks, which are rich with unparalleled aesthetics. Trail demand is growing throughout the state and is an emerging economic driver in many California communities, which is helping rural California and elsewhere to both prop up the economy and reverse trends resulting from revenue losses rooted in transitions from natural resource-based economies (timber, mining et al). The growth of electric bicycles and other mobility devices have led to a recent acceleration of the degradation of natural and other surface type trails. AB 3147 will promote equitable access and create a forum to better advance policies, practices, and funding opportunities to optimize the continued growth of existing and prospective California trail systems.
- Outdoors for All. The Outdoors for All initiative is intended to expand parks and nature access in communities with little outdoor space, supporting programs to connect people who lack access.
Spending time outdoors directly benefits mental and physical health. It improves mood and happiness, lowers stress, and strengthens people’s sense of meaning. Research shows that people who visit outdoor spaces for 30 minutes or more during a week have lower rates of depression and high blood pressure. Access to outdoor spaces also facilitates exercise, which improves long-term physical health. Many healthcare professionals recognize these benefits, and in some places have started to issue medical prescriptions to spend time in nature to improve health outcomes.
NRA’s Pathways to 30x30 Annual Progress Report (May 2023) notes that by increasing both the variety and accessibility of outdoor recreation, California is working to enable everyone in California to enjoy and connect with nature.
Trails offer a direct conduit to Californians to access nature and exercise. DPR manages more than 3,000 miles of trails and its surveys have shown that the state’s trails provide experiences that attract more users than any other type of recreational facility. Trails can be used for hiking, running, horse-back riding, mountain biking, bird watching, dog walking, backpacking, and more. Managing and maintaining trails and access to those trails is an investment in California’s commitment to Outdoors for All.
- Funding for trails. According to DPR’s Recreation Trails Plan (2022), a successful statewide trails and greenways program requires continual, broad-based and expanding sources of funding that are regularly available in order to establish and maintain a balanced program for planning, acquisition, development, maintenance, and management of trails. Additional funding is always needed to pay for deferred maintenance, for the relocation and rehabilitation of old trails and to address increasing trail use.
California’s budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022-23 contained $35 million for DPR’s trails program. The subsequent budget for FY 2023-24 reduced this allocation to $10 million. For FY 2024-25, the proposed allocation remains uncommitted and programmed.
The Parks, Environment, and Water Bond Act of 2018 (Proposition 68), included $35 million for trails, but that funding source has been oversubscribed at a margin greater than five-to-one.
- Climate bond. AB 1567 (Garcia) proposes the Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparation, Flood Protection, Extreme Heat Mitigation, and Workforce Development Bond Act of 2024, to authorize $15.105 billion in general obligation bonds for safe drinking water, wildfire prevention, drought preparation, flood protection, extreme heat mitigation, and workforce development programs.
AB 1567 includes $25 million for the creation of a California Trails Conservancy, and $25 million for the creation of the Office of Outdoor Recreation and Equitable Access.
According to the Legislative Analysist’s Office, the state is facing a $70 billion deficit, and multi-billion dollar deficits over the next several future fiscal years. As a result, the Legislature is considering several environmental bond proposals, in addition to AB 1567, as potential funding options to both fill the gaps where budget cuts are likely to be made and augment funding where the authors want to prioritize spending.
AB 3147 creates a framework for the establishment and allocation of funds pursuant to provisions in AB 1567, which calls for a California Trails Conservancy.
The author may wish to consider adopting amendments to provide that, regardless of the bill that the Legislature approves for putting a climate bond before the voters on the November 2024 ballot, this bill shall only go into effect if funding for a California Trails Conservancy is approved in a statewide bond initiative.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
None on file
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by: Paige Brokaw / NAT. RES. /
Bill Author
Bill Co-Author(s):
