SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a) Due in large part to the COVID-19 pandemic and the fundamental human need to interact with people and nature, the popularity of California’s nonmotorized natural surface recreation trails exploded and has continued beyond the pandemic.
(b) Nonmotorized recreation trails are the venues of choice for diverse outdoor activities, including hiking, equestrian use, adventure, gravel and mountain biking, trail running, and passive nature experience.
(c) According to the Outdoor Foundation’s 2022 “Outdoor Participation Trends Report,” all five of the most popular outdoor activities, including hiking, camping, fishing, running, and cycling, are largely trail dependent.
(d) To reinforce the findings and declarations above, according to the Outdoor Industry Association, trail activities are the most popular form of outdoor engagement in the country, yet California spends less than $2,000,000 per year on nonmotorized natural surface trail enhancements through a federally funded program.
(e) Several strategy documents produced by Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration to combat climate change and promote resilient landscapes, including the document “Pathways to 30x30 California: Accelerating Conservation of California’s Nature” (April 22, 2022), which emphasizes the need for sustainable and equitable recreation and trail investments, will help to facilitate nonmotorized natural surface trail enhancements.
(f) In an effort to combat wildfire through the joint management of lands, California and the United States Forest Service entered into the “Agreement for Shared Stewardship of California’s Forest and Rangelands,” which calls for a shared vision around access and diversity, including by “increasing accessible trails and facilities, and targeting low-income communities that lack access.”
(g) To further promote the multibenefit opportunities inherent in climate and resiliency investments, California should further explore the incorporation of new trails and trail corridors into future risk reduction buffers and shaded fuel break projects.
(h) According to the Outdoor Industry Association, California’s outdoor economy is one of the state’s primary economic drivers, contributing nearly $100,000,000,000 annually in goods and services to the financial health of the state, and trail infrastructure is a critical component to this sector’s level of success.
(i) Through the enactment of Proposition 68, as approved at the June 5, 2018, statewide direct primary election, and the Budget Act of 2021, California has seen an infusion of resources for nature-based investments to accelerate the pace and scale of climate resiliency and public access projects.
(j) While the state has recently made a substantial commitment to outdoor programming, this investment is incongruous with the level of investment in trail infrastructure, which are the primary means to connect people and programs to nature, and California needs to establish a sustainable state-specific funding source to keep up with trail demand.
(k) To underscore the demand for funding in this area, during a recent grant cycle to secure awards relating to trails and greenway corridors, there were more than $400,000,000 in funding requests, but there was only $27,000,000 available pursuant to Proposition 68, as approved at the June 5, 2018, statewide direct primary election.
(l) In 2013, California established the nation’s first Active Transportation Program, an important achievement, but, in establishing this program, shifted 60 percent of the funds otherwise available on an annual basis for recreation-specific trail improvements.
(m) In order to align scarce state dollars with the need to meet existing and growing public access considerations, lawmakers should reevaluate and, to the extent possible, combine existing grant programs and priorities consistent with Governor Gavin Newsom’s “Outdoors for All” initiative and outdoor activity trends and use patterns.