Over the last few years, climate scientists have noticed that the extreme events originally projected for future decades are happening now. These recent extreme events have changed language in the field from climate change to climate emergency, and the difference isn’t just semantics—it is the rate and volume at which they occur.

We have the human capital in the Sierra – sensation seekers are here to stay, it’s about time we harness their competencies in our leadership.

To close out the year, Sierra Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Partnership (CAMP) held its last member meeting open to the public as a way to not only reflect upon itself in traditional end-of-year fashion, but build a stronger vision for the year ahead. Steve Frisch, SBC President, gave a fantastic overview of information and member highlights from the past year.

Wildfire is the apex issue in our region, impacting the environment, economies, and public health of the Sierra. The severity of this problem is addressed by each of SBC’s three focus areas—our climate action, regional advocacy, and economic empowerment teams are each working on solutions that tackle the many challenges presented by severe wildfires. 

The California Green Business Network (CAGBN) is a community of small to medium sized businesses throughout the state that comply with environmental regulations in the areas of waste, energy, water, pollution prevention, and air quality. These businesses have undergone an extensive auditing process, implemented cost and resource saving measures, and continue to use best practices even beyond certification.

Successful forest treatment projects over the last ten years (and the heroic work of firefighters) were what slowed the Caldor Fire enough to save homes and businesses in the Tahoe Basin, but often the threats posed to fire-impacted communities like mine are still only just beginning by the time containment is reached. 

After fighting fires all over the West Coast – from Arizona to Alaska – I realized there was a tremendous amount of work to do off the firelines; I wanted to transition into climate adaptation planning and community resilience work, especially for underserved communities facing such climate threats firsthand. I began to think about work opportunities to prevent catastrophic wildfires or at least help communities better prepare for them.

This past January, I got a text from my trail family asking if I was interested in going on a backpacking trip for 12 days in the Southern Sierra in August. Without hesitation, I said yes. Little did I know how this trip would impact my life, let alone bring perspective to the Sierra Nevada Climate Vulnerability Assessment project I had just joined.

Today’s legislative wrap up will focus largely on the budget, since so many of our region’s policy priorities got swept into – and in many cases, benefited – from this year’s historic budget surplus.