CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE 20172018 REGULAR SESSION Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 148Introduced by Senator Galgiani(Coauthors: Senators Dodd, Glazer, Nielsen, Pan, and Stone)(Coauthors: Assembly Members Aguiar-Curry, Cooper, Grayson, and Mathis)May 25, 2018 Relative to California Invasive Species Awareness Week. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGESTSCR 148, as introduced, Galgiani. California Invasive Species Awareness Week.This measure would declare June 2, 2018, to June 9, 2018, inclusive, as the California Invasive Species Awareness Week and would encourage all Californians to participate in activities that raise awareness of invasive species issues.Digest Key Fiscal Committee: NO Bill TextWHEREAS, Invasive species threaten Californias environment, economy, water, natural resources, agriculture, and climate adaptation; andWHEREAS, The Department of Food and Agriculture, the Natural Resources Agency, and four other state agencies have endorsed a Strategic Framework for Protecting California from Invasive Species; andWHEREAS, Invasive species include plants, animals, insects, diseases, and other biological organisms that are nonnative to California; andWHEREAS, Invasive species spread more rapidly with increasing global travel and commerce, at great cost to human and animal health as well as economic security; andWHEREAS, The destructive impact of invasive species is profound, affecting Californias cropland, rangeland, forests, parks, wildlands, and waterways, and causing enormous losses of private, state, and federal resources through decreased land productivity, degradation of wildlife habitat, and outright destruction of crops, livestock, wetlands, watersheds, and recreational areas; andWHEREAS, Invasive species are a factor in damaging habitat for nearly one-half of the species federally listed as threatened or endangered, and, in California, 415 special status species are threatened by invasive plants alone; andWHEREAS, Scientists estimate that the costs to prevent, monitor, and control invasive species, combined with the costs of damages to crops, fisheries, forests, and other natural resources, add up to a total cost to the United States of $137 billion annually; andWHEREAS, In California, quagga and zebra mussels have altered ecosystems, water quality, and food webs, have fouled shorelines and watercraft, have clogged water intakes and conveyances, and have cost the state, water agencies and municipalities, and watercraft owners hundreds of millions of dollars since their introduction in 2007; andWHEREAS, Invasive pests like the European grapevine moth, the Asian citrus psyllid, the glassy-winged sharpshooter, and the nutria, a large, destructive rodent with a rapid reproduction rate, can cause major damage to Californias agricultural crops, and invasive pests like the gold-spotted oak borer and the polyphagous shothole borer threaten our forests; andWHEREAS, Incurable invasive plant diseases, such as huanglongbing, transmitted by the Asian citrus psyllid, and Pierces disease, transmitted by the glassy-winged sharpshooter, are serious threats to Californias citrus and grape-growing industries, respectively, and have already caused severe and widespread damage to these agricultural crops both nationally and internationally; andWHEREAS, Invasive plants damage rangeland productivity, and noxious and invasive weeds have destroyed large portions of riparian habitat along creeks, streams, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and other bodies of freshwater in California, damaging the integrity of the riparian system by altering erosion, sedimentation, flooding, and fire; andWHEREAS, Invasive aquatic plants, such as water hyacinth, Egeria densa, and spongeplant, have significantly degraded ecosystems in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta by severely choking waterways, altering water quality, destroying aquatic habitat, obstructing recreation and navigation, and clogging infrastructure and equipment, vastly increasing commercial operating costs and costing the state millions of dollars annually; andWHEREAS, The invasive weed Arundo donax (giant reed) has established large colonies across the state, most notably in southern California, where in one 10,000-acre area of riparian habitat, before recent removal efforts, the weed was estimated to consume more than 30,000 acre-feet of water each year, or enough water to meet the yearly freshwater needs of 150,000 persons; andWHEREAS, The invasive weed yellow star thistle has infested more than 14.3 million acres, making it the most common invasive plant in California, choking out native plants and killing horses who eat its poisonous early season growth; andWHEREAS, Pathways for the spread of harmful nonnative weeds are many and varied, involving both accidental and intentional introductions, and could be reduced by increased awareness of the dangers posed by even seemingly innocuous plants that are transplanted to a different ecosystem; andWHEREAS, The federal government, through the United States Department of Agriculture, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and several other agencies, maintains programs to prevent, control, and manage invasive species; andWHEREAS, The State of California, through the Department of Food and Agriculture, the Natural Resources Agency, and several other agencies, maintains several invasive species management programs and public awareness campaigns for the purpose of preventing invasive species entry, reporting and mapping new detections, and controlling and eradicating existing populations; andWHEREAS, These programs to prevent, control, manage, and eradicate invasive species have emphasized information sharing, education, and public awareness as crucial to the success of prevention, control, and eradication efforts; andWHEREAS, The Climate Adaptation Strategy published by the National Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Partnership in 2012, the Priority Agenda published by the Council on Climate Preparedness and Resilience in October 2014, the Recommendations to the President published by the State, Local, and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience in November 2014, and Safeguarding California, our states climate adaptation plan, all recommend action to control invasive species as a means of improving climate resiliency; andWHEREAS, The California State Wildlife Action Plan 2015 Update prepared by the Department of Fish and Wildlife identifies invasive species as the most pervasive and commonly identified threat to the states diverse fish, wildlife, and plant resources, and the habitats upon which they depend; andWHEREAS, The 24-member California Invasive Species Advisory Committee emphasizes the importance of public awareness and engagement on the issue of invasive species; now, therefore, be itResolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby declares June 2, 2018, to June 9, 2018, inclusive, as the California Invasive Species Awareness Week; and be it further Resolved, That on the occasion of California Invasive Species Awareness Week, the Legislature encourages all Californians to participate in activities that raise awareness of invasive species issues; and be it furtherResolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution. CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE 20172018 REGULAR SESSION Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 148Introduced by Senator Galgiani(Coauthors: Senators Dodd, Glazer, Nielsen, Pan, and Stone)(Coauthors: Assembly Members Aguiar-Curry, Cooper, Grayson, and Mathis)May 25, 2018 Relative to California Invasive Species Awareness Week. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGESTSCR 148, as introduced, Galgiani. California Invasive Species Awareness Week.This measure would declare June 2, 2018, to June 9, 2018, inclusive, as the California Invasive Species Awareness Week and would encourage all Californians to participate in activities that raise awareness of invasive species issues.Digest Key Fiscal Committee: NO CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE 20172018 REGULAR SESSION Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 148 Introduced by Senator Galgiani(Coauthors: Senators Dodd, Glazer, Nielsen, Pan, and Stone)(Coauthors: Assembly Members Aguiar-Curry, Cooper, Grayson, and Mathis)May 25, 2018 Introduced by Senator Galgiani(Coauthors: Senators Dodd, Glazer, Nielsen, Pan, and Stone)(Coauthors: Assembly Members Aguiar-Curry, Cooper, Grayson, and Mathis) May 25, 2018 Relative to California Invasive Species Awareness Week. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST ## LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SCR 148, as introduced, Galgiani. California Invasive Species Awareness Week. This measure would declare June 2, 2018, to June 9, 2018, inclusive, as the California Invasive Species Awareness Week and would encourage all Californians to participate in activities that raise awareness of invasive species issues. This measure would declare June 2, 2018, to June 9, 2018, inclusive, as the California Invasive Species Awareness Week and would encourage all Californians to participate in activities that raise awareness of invasive species issues. ## Digest Key ## Bill Text WHEREAS, Invasive species threaten Californias environment, economy, water, natural resources, agriculture, and climate adaptation; and WHEREAS, The Department of Food and Agriculture, the Natural Resources Agency, and four other state agencies have endorsed a Strategic Framework for Protecting California from Invasive Species; and WHEREAS, Invasive species include plants, animals, insects, diseases, and other biological organisms that are nonnative to California; and WHEREAS, Invasive species spread more rapidly with increasing global travel and commerce, at great cost to human and animal health as well as economic security; and WHEREAS, The destructive impact of invasive species is profound, affecting Californias cropland, rangeland, forests, parks, wildlands, and waterways, and causing enormous losses of private, state, and federal resources through decreased land productivity, degradation of wildlife habitat, and outright destruction of crops, livestock, wetlands, watersheds, and recreational areas; and WHEREAS, Invasive species are a factor in damaging habitat for nearly one-half of the species federally listed as threatened or endangered, and, in California, 415 special status species are threatened by invasive plants alone; and WHEREAS, Scientists estimate that the costs to prevent, monitor, and control invasive species, combined with the costs of damages to crops, fisheries, forests, and other natural resources, add up to a total cost to the United States of $137 billion annually; and WHEREAS, In California, quagga and zebra mussels have altered ecosystems, water quality, and food webs, have fouled shorelines and watercraft, have clogged water intakes and conveyances, and have cost the state, water agencies and municipalities, and watercraft owners hundreds of millions of dollars since their introduction in 2007; and WHEREAS, Invasive pests like the European grapevine moth, the Asian citrus psyllid, the glassy-winged sharpshooter, and the nutria, a large, destructive rodent with a rapid reproduction rate, can cause major damage to Californias agricultural crops, and invasive pests like the gold-spotted oak borer and the polyphagous shothole borer threaten our forests; and WHEREAS, Incurable invasive plant diseases, such as huanglongbing, transmitted by the Asian citrus psyllid, and Pierces disease, transmitted by the glassy-winged sharpshooter, are serious threats to Californias citrus and grape-growing industries, respectively, and have already caused severe and widespread damage to these agricultural crops both nationally and internationally; and WHEREAS, Invasive plants damage rangeland productivity, and noxious and invasive weeds have destroyed large portions of riparian habitat along creeks, streams, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and other bodies of freshwater in California, damaging the integrity of the riparian system by altering erosion, sedimentation, flooding, and fire; and WHEREAS, Invasive aquatic plants, such as water hyacinth, Egeria densa, and spongeplant, have significantly degraded ecosystems in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta by severely choking waterways, altering water quality, destroying aquatic habitat, obstructing recreation and navigation, and clogging infrastructure and equipment, vastly increasing commercial operating costs and costing the state millions of dollars annually; and WHEREAS, The invasive weed Arundo donax (giant reed) has established large colonies across the state, most notably in southern California, where in one 10,000-acre area of riparian habitat, before recent removal efforts, the weed was estimated to consume more than 30,000 acre-feet of water each year, or enough water to meet the yearly freshwater needs of 150,000 persons; and WHEREAS, The invasive weed yellow star thistle has infested more than 14.3 million acres, making it the most common invasive plant in California, choking out native plants and killing horses who eat its poisonous early season growth; and WHEREAS, Pathways for the spread of harmful nonnative weeds are many and varied, involving both accidental and intentional introductions, and could be reduced by increased awareness of the dangers posed by even seemingly innocuous plants that are transplanted to a different ecosystem; and WHEREAS, The federal government, through the United States Department of Agriculture, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and several other agencies, maintains programs to prevent, control, and manage invasive species; and WHEREAS, The State of California, through the Department of Food and Agriculture, the Natural Resources Agency, and several other agencies, maintains several invasive species management programs and public awareness campaigns for the purpose of preventing invasive species entry, reporting and mapping new detections, and controlling and eradicating existing populations; and WHEREAS, These programs to prevent, control, manage, and eradicate invasive species have emphasized information sharing, education, and public awareness as crucial to the success of prevention, control, and eradication efforts; and WHEREAS, The Climate Adaptation Strategy published by the National Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Partnership in 2012, the Priority Agenda published by the Council on Climate Preparedness and Resilience in October 2014, the Recommendations to the President published by the State, Local, and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience in November 2014, and Safeguarding California, our states climate adaptation plan, all recommend action to control invasive species as a means of improving climate resiliency; and WHEREAS, The California State Wildlife Action Plan 2015 Update prepared by the Department of Fish and Wildlife identifies invasive species as the most pervasive and commonly identified threat to the states diverse fish, wildlife, and plant resources, and the habitats upon which they depend; and WHEREAS, The 24-member California Invasive Species Advisory Committee emphasizes the importance of public awareness and engagement on the issue of invasive species; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby declares June 2, 2018, to June 9, 2018, inclusive, as the California Invasive Species Awareness Week; and be it further Resolved, That on the occasion of California Invasive Species Awareness Week, the Legislature encourages all Californians to participate in activities that raise awareness of invasive species issues; and be it further Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.