Trip Report: Our California Crew Hits the Road for California Outdoors
Last week, the Outdoor Alliance California team hit the road for a week of advocacy from the Ponderosa pines of the Sierra Nevada to the San Joaquin River Gorge in the Central Valley with the goal of voicing our support for outdoor recreation and access in California.
We started at the state capitol in Sacramento, where we joined over 120 outdoor recreation leaders from non-profits, outdoor businesses, and trade partners from across the state. We had over 40 meetings with policy makers, committee members, and legislative staff to discuss AB1111, a bill to establish a California Office of Outdoor Recreation.
With the momentum of our work in Sacramento, our team headed down to Clif Bar headquarters in the Bay Area where we joined a sold-out crowd to share California outdoor advocacy efforts. Together, we collected comments on the draft Sierra and Sequoia National Forest plans and AB1111. We also screened short films from by Wild and Scenic Film Festival, and heard from panelists on outdoor engagement, climate, and equitable access to the outdoors.
The next night, we headed south to the San Joaquin Valley for a night of advocacy hosted by REI and Tioga – Sequoia Brewery. Attendees participated in 20-year vision workshop and shared stories of hiking Dinkey Lake, paddling the San Joaquin River Gorge, to camping in Kings Canyon National Park and what the Forest Service needs to know so that future generations can continue to enjoy these areas. We collected comments to deliver to the Forest Service next month. The evening continued with an extraordinary panel of leaders from indigenous land conservationists, environmental advocates, and non-profit leaders in the Central Valley who are using their leadership in creating a thriving outdoor community in the area.
In four days, our team covered the state, from meeting with legislators at the state capitol to collaborating with the federal agencies to connecting with more than 100 grassroots advocates to elevating our shared vision of a sustainable outdoor recreation in California. California has a huge and passionate community of people who love the outdoors, but they haven’t yet come together as a single voice acting to protect the places we love.
Even if you missed this week’s events, you can join us to help protect important places in California.
A special thank you to our partners who made the Outdoor Alliance California road show a HUGE success – Clif Bar, Sierra Nevada Brewery, REI, Wild and Scenic Film Festival, Tioga-Sequoia Brewery, The North Face, Patagonia, Hydro Flask, Marmot, Cotopaxi, Peak Design, K2 Sports, POC, and Way Point Sales. With the generous donations from our partners, Outdoor Alliance California was able to donate raffle proceeds to Yoots and Fresno Building Healthy Communities, two amazing nonprofits who’s missions serve to create opportunities for youth outdoor engagement in California.