Summer Update from the Director

I want to welcome you to the new Legacy web page. I hope it can be an interactive site where you can visit both to get information about Legacy, and to contact us so we can get your input on the development of the Project.

Early Summer Successes
A lot has been going on with Legacy in the last six months or so. I was appointed Interim Director by the Secretary in March 2001 and Assistant Secretary for Legacy by the Governor in May. We immediately focused on generating preliminary proposals for the methodology to determine high value conservation areas and the health and condition of resources for Legacy. This work was required by the Legislature on a very short timeline to allow them to evaluate the funding for Legacy. Thanks to the help of our many supporters we were successful in getting $2 million in funding in the upcoming year's budget and are now ready to begin the real exciting work of Legacy.

Project Development
We are currently partnering with the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) to develop and test a series of tools to assist agencies, stakeholders, and decisionmakers in prioritizing large areas for different conservation values (aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity; working landscapes such as agricultural croplands, range lands and forest lands; lands for recreation and education facilities in natural areas, and urban open space).

Now we want to take these tools out to regional workshops to have stakeholders, agency representatives and decisionmakers help determine the importance of different criteria for setting conservation priorities. We are also looking for input on how Legacy can be designed to be the most effective and the most useful to the state's conservation partners. These workshops will be held from winter to early summer. More details about them will be featured on our web site soon.

Advisory Committees
In the next couple of months we will be convening a Management Advisory Committee, made up of state and federal agencies, nonprofit organizations and foundations that invest in conservation and stewardship. We will also convene a Stakeholder Advisory Committee, made up of major environmental advocacy groups, ranching, farming and timber representatives, local/regional government representatives, developers, tribal groups and environmental justice groups. These two groups will advise on the project development of Legacy and provide guidance to our Executive Management Advisory Committee of larger Resource Agency departments involved with land acquisition, stewardship and management.

Data Activities
Legacy is also conducting several data development activities. In partnership with the California Biodiversity Council Science Coordinating Committee, Legacy conducted a preliminary analysis of statewide data sets availability, usability and gaps. Now statewide data sets are being developed or improved for fire history, populated places, landscape linkages, land cover, and locally initiated conservation investment projects.

Thank you for your interest in Legacy. Keep in touch.
All the best,
Madelyn Glickfeld.