In response to the state's escalating population, environmental, agricultural, business, and governmental leaders met in Sacramento last December to explore ways to better fund land and water conservation efforts across California.

The Resources Agency, with co-sponsors Bank of America, the California Environmental Dialogue, and Californians in the Land hosted "Investing in California's Natural Heritage: A Forum on Conservation Funding." Participants included leaders from the National Audubon Society in Florida, the Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust, the New Jersey Office of State Planning, Senators Patrick Johnston and David Kelley, as well as representatives of the California Chamber of Commerce, League of California Cities, California Building Industry Association, California Association of Realtors, California Farm Bureau, The Nature Conservancy, Trust for Public Land, and the Wilderness Society.

California's population is projected to increase 40 percent by the year 2020, greatly impacting the state's diverse landscapes, including farmland, wetlands, wildlife habitat, and open spaces. Forum participants agreed that efforts to protect the state's natural systems and biodiversity must be better coordinated and adequately funded in future years if California's strong economy and quality of life are to be maintained.

Chaired by former Resources Secretary Doug Wheeler, panels discussed the effectiveness of key conservation tools and funding sources being used in California today. Florida, New jersey, and Colorado leaders also described successful programs to fund conservation in their states. The Resources Agency, under new leadership with Secretary Mary Nichols, wishes to continue the dialogue begun with this forum in coming years.

In conjunction with the forum, the first compendium of its kind, entitled Preserving California's Natural Heritage: A Bioregional Guide to Land and Water Conservation, was released. This guide provides information on numerous conservation initiatives statewide, highlights regional innovative partnerships, and identifies state, federal, and private funding opportunities. Created by the Resources Agency and co-sponsored by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and The Nature Conservancy, this guide has been sent to every city and county planning department in the state. The guide was developed on a bioregional basis in order to encourage additional information sharing and partnering across local jurisdictional lines.

Whether your interest is in land protection, habitat restoration, or environmentally-friendly economic development, this guide should provide you with a place to get started.

Copies of Preserving California's Natural Heritage may be ordered from the Resources Agency at (916) 653-5353.