SECTIONS 33300-33302 - California Statutes

PUBLIC RESOURCES CODE

SECTION 33300-33302

33300. This division shall be known, and may be cited, as the
Laird-Leslie Sierra Nevada Conservancy Act.

33301. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) The Sierra Nevada Region is a globally significant area,
including many national and state parks, the highest peaks in the 48
contiguous states, and large, pristine areas that are open for public
use.
(b) The Sierra Nevada Region is an important part of the state's
economy, providing substantial agricultural products, timber
resources, ranching, mining, tourism, and recreation.
(c) The Sierra Nevada Region provides 65 percent of California's
developed water supply and nearly all of the water supply for western
Nevada. As California's principal watershed, the region is the
critical source of water for urban and rural parts of northern and
southern California.
(d) In cooperation with local governments, private business,
nonprofit organizations, and the public, a Sierra Nevada Conservancy
can help do all of the following:
(1) Provide increased opportunities for tourism and recreation.
(2) Protect, conserve, and restore the region's physical,
cultural, archaeological, historical, and living resources.
(3) Aid in the preservation of working landscapes.
(4) Reduce the risk of natural disasters, such as wildfires.
(5) Protect and improve water and air quality.
(6) Assist the regional economy through the operation of the
conservancy's program.
(7) Identify the highest priority projects and initiatives for
which funding is needed.
(8) Undertake efforts to enhance public use and enjoyment of lands
owned by the public.
(9) Support efforts that advance both environmental preservation
and the economic well-being of Sierra residents in a complementary
manner.

33302. For the purposes of this division, the following terms have
the following meanings:
(a) "Board" means the Governing Board of the Sierra Nevada
Conservancy.
(b) "Conservancy" means the Sierra Nevada Conservancy.
(c) "Fund" means the Sierra Nevada Conservancy Fund created
pursuant to Section 33355.
(d) "Local public agency" means a city, county, district, or joint
powers authority.
(e) "Nonprofit organization" means a private, nonprofit
organization that qualifies for exempt status under Section 501(c)(3)
of Title 26 of the United States Code, and whose charitable purposes
are consistent with the purposes of the conservancy as set forth in
this division.
(f) "Region" or "Sierra Nevada Region" means the area lying within
the Counties of Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, El Dorado, Fresno,
Inyo, Kern, Lassen, Madera, Mariposa, Modoc, Mono, Nevada, Placer,
Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Tehama, Tulare, Tuolumne, and Yuba, described
as the area bounded as follows:
On the east by the eastern boundary of the State of California;
the crest of the White/Inyo ranges; and State Routes 395 and 14 south
of Olancha; on the south by State Route 58, Tehachapi Creek, and
Caliente Creek; on the west by the line of 1,250 feet above sea level
from Caliente Creek to the Kern/Tulare County line; the lower level
of the western slope's blue oak woodland, from the Kern/Tulare County
line to the Sacramento River near the mouth of Seven-Mile Creek
north of Red Bluff; the Sacramento River from Seven-Mile Creek north
to Cow Creek below Redding; Cow Creek, Little Cow Creek, Dry Creek,
and the Shasta National Forest portion of Bear Mountain Road, between
the Sacramento River and Shasta Lake; the Pit River Arm of Shasta
Lake; the northerly boundary of the Pit River watershed; the
southerly and easterly boundaries of Siskiyou County; and within
Modoc County, the easterly boundary of the Klamath River watershed;
and on the north by the northern boundary of the State of California;
excluding both of the following:
(1) The Lake Tahoe Region, as described in Section 66905.5 of the
Government Code, where it is defined as "region."
(2) The San Joaquin River Parkway, as described in Section 32510.
(g) "Subregions" means the six subregions in which the Sierra
Nevada Region is located, described as follows:
(1) The north Sierra subregion, comprising the Counties of Lassen,
Modoc, and Shasta.
(2) The north central Sierra subregion, comprising the Counties of
Butte, Plumas, Sierra, and Tehama.
(3) The central Sierra subregion, comprising the Counties of El
Dorado, Nevada, Placer, and Yuba.
(4) The south central Sierra subregion, comprising the Counties of
Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa, and Tuolumne.
(5) The east Sierra subregion, comprising the Counties of Alpine,
Inyo, and Mono.
(6) The south Sierra subregion, comprising the Counties of Fresno,
Kern, Madera, and Tulare.
(h) "Tribal organization" means an Indian tribe, band, nation, or
other organized group or community, or a tribal agency authorized by
a tribe, which is recognized as eligible for special programs and
services provided by the United States to Indians because of their
status as Indians and is identified on pages 52829 to 52835,
inclusive, of Number 250 of Volume 53 (December 29, 1988) of the
Federal Register, as that list may be updated or amended from time to
time.