Conserving California’s Land and Coastal Water by 2030

Despite the complicated political landscape, numerous environmental activists remain dedicated to advocating for preserving California’s lands and coastal waters. 

On March 18 and 19,  activists and organizations convened in Sacramento to engage with legislators, standing alongside Californians to protect the environment for current and future generations.

Many of these efforts are attributable to the 30×30 Power in Nature Protection California Together initiative, which is a community-driven endeavor aimed at safeguarding 30% of California’s land and coastal waters by the year 2030.

The 30×30 Power in Nature initiative’s primary objective is to sequester lifetime opportunities by safeguarding biodiversity in California, addressing climate change, and fostering equity for future generations. To learn more about 30×30 Power in Nature Protecting California Together, we invite you to visit their page: https://www.powerinnature.org/

In October 2020, Governor Newsom made a pivotal move by issuing Executive Order N-82-20, which underscores biodiversity conservation as a top priority for the administration and emphasizes nature’s role in addressing climate change. Through this order, California has committed to the ambitious goal of conserving 30% of its lands and coastal waters by 2030, referred to as the 30×30 initiative. To learn more about this, read the Final Pathways to 30×30 Strategy document here.

Mother Earth requires assistance and support; thus, it is our responsibility to take decisive action to thwart the destructive ambitions of greedy lobbyists and corporations seeking to exploit natural resources for profit. In the initiative ” 30×30 Power in Nature, ” a dedicated section outlines the steps for immediate action:

Step 1: Join a regional group.

Step 2: Advocate for national monuments.

Step 3: Share your support on social media and tag your legislator. Additionally, please invite your friends to join us in protecting our environment.

For more information, visit this link: https://www.powerinnature.org/take-action/

2025 Sacramento:  Advocacy Day with Power in Nature 30×30

The Advocacy Day 2025 was a significant demonstration of the inherent power of nature. Everyone who participated substantially impacted our efforts to advocate for and advance the 30×30 goals, uplift priority legislation, protect public lands, support the Marine Protected Area (MPA) network for our coastal waters, and draw attention to local projects. 

On March 19th, over 80 coalition members participated in 72 meetings with legislative offices. This achievement was made possible through the dedication and organization of individuals who are committed to environmental stewardship and recognize the critical importance of taking action to sustain the efforts of protecting our planet.

San Diego’s Environment Leaders in Sacramento

Seven environmental activists from San Diego had the opportunity to unite and form two groups to participate in the Power in Nature’s Advocacy Day on March 18-19, 2025. Their involvement constitutes a compelling demonstration of collective advocacy to advance the 30×30 initiative. The organization that convened and traveled to Sacramento to address the primary environmental issues in San Diego includes:

Environmental Center of San Diego

WildCoast

Friends of Friendship Park

CNPS

Sierra Club San Diego Chapter

Legislator Meeting Points

Several conferences and training sessions were conducted before the meeting with the legislator to prepare each environmental activist who attended Advocacy Day in Sacramento. The San Diego environmental activists were particularly clear in their points and maintained concise messaging during each meeting with the legislator. 

Furthermore, every meeting participant remained focused, articulated their points succinctly, and emphasized how the 30×30 initiative benefits their districts and constituents.  Two members of the San Diego team were able to attend a Senate hearing where a local issue was on the agenda concerning equality in access to the Tijuana estuary, Border Field State Park, Beach, and Monument Mesa next to Friendship Park and were able to give public comment as well as speak with the Senator David Alvarez and the head of California State Parks Armando Quintero and his staff.

These are points discussed in the meeting and how members interacted with each legislator

1. Introductions
2. What is Power in Nature?
3. What is 30×30
4. Our Budget Ask
5. 30×30 in Your District
6. Our Legislative Ask (Bills)
7. Protecting Public Lands
8. Oceans – MPAs
9. Open for Questions

For instance, concerning point five: What is the visual representation of 30×30 within your region or district, particularly regarding regional priorities? Environmental activists concentrated their efforts and articulated their concerns in specific areas of San Diego that require protection and immediate action to preserve this natural environment. There are several environmental parks, both federal and state, in San Diego where SD environmental activists were at their peak during meetings with legislators.

•   ReWild Mission Bay / Rose Creek 
•   Friends of Friendship Park / Tijuana River/ Border Field State Park 
•   SD CanyonLands- https://www.sdcanyonlands.org/restoration-projects
•   Buena Vista Creek Ecological Reserve/ Buena Vista Lagoon Wetland Restoration — 
•   Chollas Creek – funding 
•   Description: Located in the Pueblo Watershed, Chollas Creek runs through
•   Otay Valley Regional Park 

Ultimately, all members who attended the capital expressed positive sentiments, with several experiencing this role for the first time by advocating for our planet and environment in the context of safeguarding both state and federal lands in California. The efforts surrounding this event do not conclude here; this is merely one of the initial steps. 

Activism requires ongoing commitment to safeguard our project from greedy lobbyists and corporations that demonstrate indifference towards preserving our planet and the environment. During this Advocacy Day, the seven San Diego environmental activists convened with the following legislators in Sacramento:

Tren Garrett: Policy Analyst

Christoper M. Ward: Assemblymember, 78th District

Robert Roque: Legislative Staffer for Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones

Samantha Samuelsen: Legislative Director

Christian Filbrun: Legislative Aide, Assemblymember Tasha Boerner

Catherine Blakespear staff

  Let’s take action together!

There are numerous ways to support those who are actively working to protect our environmental landscapes. You don’t need to be an expert; the first step is to join your community regional group dedicated to preserving your local natural landscape. From there, learn how to proceed with the following steps.

What are the subsequent steps?

The initial step involves ensuring that each government department is held accountable for its responsibilities while addressing the needs of the communities in relation to local natural landscapes and federal parks.

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