ACR 235

Introduced by Assembly Member Jeff Gonzalez
 Relative to Sentinel Landscapes Partnership.
Sentinel Landscapes Partnership
Sentinel Landscapes Partnership.
This measure would express the Legislature’s support for the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership, designated areas like the Mojave Desert, and the pursuit of additional sentinel landscape designations throughout the state, would request the relevant state agencies to coordinate and support sentinel landscapes, and would encourage the development and passage of future legislation to create dedicated statutory frameworks that support military readiness, unlock federal funding, and promote landscape-scale conservation.
WHEREAS, The State of California is home to premier military installations that are vital to the national security of the United States, requiring unencumbered off-base land, coastal waters, and airspace to test, transit, and train for current and next-generation military capabilities; and
WHEREAS, The Sentinel Landscapes Partnership is a coalition of federal agencies, state and local governments, and nongovernmental organizations that work with willing landowners and land managers to advance sustainable land use practices around military installations and ranges; and
WHEREAS, Founded in 2013 by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Department of Defense (DOD), and Department of the Interior (DOI), the partnership’s mission is to strengthen military readiness, conserve natural resources, bolster agricultural and forestry economies, increase public access to outdoor recreation, and enhance resilience to climate change; and
WHEREAS, Natural open space and sustainably managed working lands used for farming, ranching, and forestry provide vital ecological and recreational services and support the nation’s economy through agriculture and forestry. These lands also provide critical buffers for military installations and ranges by maintaining land use that is compatible with their testing and training missions; and
WHEREAS, Sentinel landscapes are areas where conservation, working lands, and national defense interests converge. They are anchored by at least one high-value military installation or range and contain high-priority lands for USDA, DOD, and DOI; and
WHEREAS, The expansion of sentinel landscapes throughout California yields profound benefits to the state by preserving vital working agricultural and forest lands, protecting critical wildlife corridors, and unlocking dedicated federal conservation funding and matching grants; and
WHEREAS, While the federal government has designated multiple sentinel landscapes near major military installations across the country, California has recently secured the designation of the Mojave Desert Sentinel Landscape (MDSL); and
WHEREAS, The Mojave Desert Sentinel Landscape designation coheres and aligns military, conservation, and development interests among a diverse set of federal, state, and local partners who are working to address land use changes and challenges across the western Mojave Desert; and
WHEREAS, Coordinated, landscape-scale, multiuse planning, habitat management, and prioritized resource investments will reduce these conflicts and increase mission flexibility and resilience for five military installations with responsibilities for the state and federally threatened desert tortoise. This includes protecting more than 40 sensitive plant and animal species such as the western Joshua tree, desert bighorn sheep, Inyo California Towhee, Mohave ground squirrel, migratory birds, and a wide variety of pollinator species; and
WHEREAS, The sentinel landscape allows for a coalition effort of all agencies and partners to collaborate and focus on common goals in these ecosystems; and
WHEREAS, The State of California recognizes the critical intersection of military readiness and environmental stewardship, and while Assembly Bill 2590 of the 2025–26 Regular Session, which sought to establish targeted resource conservation frameworks for sentinel landscapes, did not advance, the urgent need for such statutory alignment remains; and
WHEREAS, It is the intent of the Legislature to encourage and champion future legislative efforts that mirror the foundational goals of Assembly Bill 2590 of the 2025–26 Regular Session, formally integrating state resource conservation programs with the military readiness and ecological resilience objectives of the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership; now, therefore, be it
 Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring,  That the Legislature expresses its strong support for the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership, designated areas like the Mojave Desert, and the pursuit of additional sentinel landscape designations throughout the state; and be it further
 Resolved,  That the Legislature requests the relevant state agencies to coordinate and support sentinel landscapes in ways to meet specific mission goals; and be it further
 Resolved,  That the Legislature encourages the development and passage of future legislation akin to Assembly Bill 2590 of the 2025–26 Regular Session to create dedicated statutory frameworks that support military readiness, unlock federal funding, and promote landscape-scale conservation; and be it further
 Resolved,  That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.