The Office of the Governor of the State of California

05/02/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/02/2024 11:59

National Monument Expansions Bring California Closer to Conservation Milestone

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Thanks to President Biden's national monument expansion, California is making significant progress to conserve 30% of our lands and coastal waters by 2030.

SACRAMENTO - Two national monument expansions announced by President Biden today are supporting California's work to conserve more lands and coastal waters.

The Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument near Napa and the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument in Los Angeles will both increase in size, protecting more of California's unique biodiversity and culturally significant Native American tribal lands. The expansions also help provide greater access to the outdoors to underserved communities.

Governor Gavin Newsom stopped by one of California's newly expanded national monuments, Berryessa Snow Mountain, to celebrate this significant step forward in preserving California's natural habitats.

Watch the Governor's video:

Berryessa Snow Mountain and San Gabriel Mountains National Monuments are getting bigger!

Thanks to @POTUS, two national monuments in California are expanding by thousands of acres.

We'll continue to protect our beautiful lands for all to enjoy. pic.twitter.com/6JuHX15D7u

- California Governor (@CAgovernor) May 2, 2024

President Biden's announcement expands protected lands in California by 130,000 acres. Notably, this federal expansion gets California closer to its 30×30 goal - conserving 30% of the state's lands and coastal waters by 2030. The state now stands at 24.5% of lands conserved.

The national monument expansions - championed by Senator Padilla, California's Congressional delegation, tribal partners, and community organizations - build on California's ongoing efforts to conserve the state's biodiversity and natural resources:

  • California recently unveiled 81 targets for nature-based solutions to help the state achieve its world-leading climate goals, including reaching carbon neutrality by 2045.
  • The state is supporting the return of over 38,000 acres of ancestral land to tribal stewardship and advancing nature-based solutions projects on tribal lands.

California announced the opening of the first new state park in nearly a decade: the Dos Rios Park conserves approximately 1,600 acres of land and serves as the largest public-private floodplain restoration project in California.