With the arrival of our newest staff member Kevin Riley, Greenbelt Alliance is excited to continue our work in Solano County, one of the largest jurisdictions across the Bay Area.
Since 2017, we’ve been using our downtown Fairfield office to work closely with our Solano County partners. This work includes continuing to build on the educational outreach for both local residents and their elected leaders and incorporating powerful messages around the importance of conservation in adapting to a changing climate.
One of the areas we will focus on is the renewal of the Fairfield Urban Growth Boundary (UGB), which expires at the end of this year. This is the boundary that separates Fairfield from unincorporated Solano County. We want to encourage elected officials to renew the UGB in order to preserve the open space surrounding the city.
Benefits of an Urban Growth Boundary include:
- Reducing suburban sprawl which results in the reduction of extra traffic;
- Protecting the lands of farmers and ranchers;
- And providing a defensive barrier against wildfires.
The corollary effect of protecting UGBs is increased habitat for wildlife, carbon sequestration to combat climate change, and preserving the open sky and natural beauty that is Solano County.
Given that Solano County is not immune to the impacts of climate change, we will also be working to make stronger connections between the land-use policies across the county that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions while helping our region adapt to a changing climate. To achieve this, we will collaborate with political leaders who are concerned about climate change and resilience in the county, and who want to safeguard the quality of life for everyone who lives here.
We are excited to continue and expand our work with regional partners, elected officials, community groups, and businesses to develop long-term, climate-smart solutions for the Solano County of today and tomorrow!
Feel free to contact Regional Representative Kevin Riley with any questions you may have about our work in Solano County.
Photo: Robert Couse-Baker via Flickr
