 Bringing you updates on California's Outdoors for All movement
February 2026
Get Away to the Delta
 Your California trip is not complete without a visit to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. With its fishing, boating, dining, camping, wine tasting, historic sites, and sightseeing, there’s something for everyone! There’s isn’t a place filled with more character, culture, and charm!
Honoring the Past, Protecting the Future: 100 Years of Black Leadership in Environmental Action
 The California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) and its supporting departments invite you to celebrate Black History Month! Through virtual and in-person events, we will be honoring Black leaders in the environmental field, who work to protect the environment for current and future generations and encourage others to become environmental stewards. By reflecting on the past and uplifting today’s leaders, we reaffirm our shared commitment to building a healthier, more just future for generations to come. Some events include:
Tomorrow, February 14
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Event: Black Connections to Nature Community Hike
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Location: Big Dalton Canyon Trail, 2041 Big Dalton Canyon Road, Glendora
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Cost: Free
Saturday, February 18
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Event: A Day in Nature Celebration
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Location: Stoneview Nature Center, 5950 Stoneview Drive, Culver City
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Cost: Free
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Parking: Due to site parking limitations, we’re encouraging visitors to consider public transportation or ride sharing options. Check the Link schedule from Metro to Stoneview at the Baldwin Hills Parklands Link. Link fare is 25 cents per trip. All shuttles are air-conditioned and wheelchair accessible.
Help Improve and Expand Trail Access to More Californians
 Our beautiful state of California has an immense network of existing trails. At the same time, California has an enormous need to improve and expand access for more people, especially in park-poor communities, to enjoy these incredible trail resources.
Call to Action: Help improve and expand trail access to more Californians and spread the word!
How? Take an online survey or participate in a webinar to share what’s missing, what’s working, what are some barriers to improving or creating trails, and what could be better when it comes to trails in your region. Also, please share this opportunity with your networks and communities.
Where? Please visit CaliforniaTrailsSurvey.com to take the survey and/or register for one of the webinars being held on February 18 and 24, from 6-7 p.m.
Unable to Join a Webinar? Both webinars will be recorded and posted at CaliforniaTrailsSurvey.com for those who cannot attend live.
Your input will help share future trail investments funded by the voter-approved Proposition 4 (Climate Bond) to build trail projects as well as guide updates to the California Recreational Trails Plan. The plan serves as a statewide guide for agencies that plan, maintain and manage trails, assessing demand, identifying priorities and recommending an integrated system of trail routes.
Your Go-To Guide for the Climate Bond
 CNRA has a Climate Bond website! We are working to make applying for grants more accessible and easier to understand than ever before. The Climate Bond invests $10 billion in local projects that strengthen communities -- protecting drinking water, reducing wildfire and flood risks, restoring natural places, supporting healthy working lands, and expanding access to parks and outdoor spaces. On the new site you can search funding pots and grant opportunities, get key contacts, get answers to basic questions, review key documents that will be guiding our departments, learn how we are improving the grant process, learn what is means for projects to provide direct and meaningful benefits and much more.
California State Parks Week: June 10-14
 California State Parks is excited to announce the return of California State Parks Week this June 10–14, now in its fifth year. This year’s tagline again will be “This is where you live.” Our shared state parks have been through a lot this past year, and this weeklong event is an opportunity to keep Californians engaged and invested in their precious natural spaces as we welcome them to explore their parks through a series of free events.
Presented by California State Parks, California State Parks Foundation, Parks California and Save the Redwoods League, this event celebrates California’s 280 state parks and the people who visit and help protect these iconic places.
California State Parks Week advances California’s Outdoors for All and Outdoor Access for All initiatives championed by Governor Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and the Natural Resources Agency. In partnership with a broad array of governments, community organizations and tribes, California is expanding parks and outdoor spaces in communities that need them the most, supporting programs to connect with people who lack access, fostering a sense of belonging for all Californians outdoors, and much more.
Join the movement by celebrating the nation’s largest state park system! Big things are in store for the fifth annual celebration. Stay tuned for a statewide list of events and ways to celebrate together across California.
First-Ever Outdoors for All Convening
Story by: Gloria Sandoval, CNRA's Deputy Secretary for Access
 While held indoors, the conversation centered on the outdoors and the importance of connecting more Californians to our state's natural and cultural resources and expanding recreational opportunities. On February 3, the first-ever Outdoors for All convening brought together more than 300 state leaders, partners, advocates, and supporters from across the state who believe that the outdoors should be accessible by all.
We celebrated our progress in advancing California’s Outdoors for All initiative, strengthened our commitment to institutionalizing shared priorities, sparked new ideas to expand outdoor access to more Californians, deepened our working relationships, and fostered a stronger sense of cohesion across this vital sector.
Above all, the convening was marked by a shared sense of momentum. Thank you to every attendee and speaker for contributing their voice and time to advancing this movement – Outdoors for All.
From inspiring voices like First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom to meaningful conversations about protecting outdoor access in a changing federal landscape, strengthening partnerships with California Native American tribes, prescribing parks and time in nature to improve health, and much more, the day was filled with warmth, connection, and hope.
Some feedback from attendees included:
It was incredibly meaningful and impactful for us to be able to participate in this event and get together with so many like-minded people and partners that believe equitable access should be a key priority for California. – California Outdoor Recreation Partnership
There are real challenges to overcome – access, awareness, safety, transportation, belonging – but even bigger opportunities when we collaborate. – Gunjan Utreja, MyTrailPals
We were full humans, in place and time together, talking about what's really happening. So good! And oddly so rare. – Annie Burke, Together Bay Area
I invited attendees to carry this momentum forward by continuing to collaborate, listen, and take action to build an Outdoors for All where every Californian feels welcomed, connected, and inspired by the outdoors. Additionally, I encouraged all to elevate tribal governments, communities, peoples, and priorities into their work.
Even with a momentous day behind us, our work continues because too many Californians still lack access to nature, have never experienced the ocean, or do not feel a sense of belonging outdoors. Feedback from the convening will be thoughtfully reviewed by CNRA to help inform potential areas for enhancement and future opportunities, both within the current administration and as part of the transition to new leadership.
To learn more about California’s Outdoors for All initiative, please visit resources.ca.gov/OutdoorsForAll.
25 Years of Protecting National Conservation Lands
Story by: Maricela Rosales, Conservation Lands Foundation’s California Program Associate Director
In 2025, local communities across the country celebrated the 25th anniversary of the National Conservation Lands system, honoring a quarter-century of safeguarding some of the nation’s most culturally significant, ecologically rich, and visually stunning landscapes. National Conservation Lands, managed by the Bureau of Land Management, have grown to encompass over 38 million acres across more than 900 extraordinary landscapes, protecting sweeping deserts, dramatic coastlines, and rugged canyons to historic trails, wild rivers, and sacred cultural sites. These beloved places support clean air and water, wildlife habitat and migration corridors, outdoor recreation access, and local economies.
National Conservation Lands make up an essential part of California’s vast, interconnected network of lands and waters that involve joint land use planning with Tribes and federal, state, and local agencies who work together to protect these vital places and our access to them. For example, the newly designated Chuckwalla National Monument serves as a critical wildlife corridor connecting Joshua Tree National Park, the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, and the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge.
Equity and access are central to the future of these lands. National Conservation Lands offer free or low-cost opportunities for communities to experience nature and keeping these spaces open and welcoming helps ensure public lands truly serve the diverse needs of the public.
On Dec. 4, 2025, the Conservation Lands Foundation and its Friends Grassroots Network hosted a family-friendly event to celebrate the beauty and impact of National Conservation Lands in California.
The future of California is inseparable from the future of its lands and waters. Investing in their protection and ensuring equitable access today means safeguarding opportunity, resilience, and inspiration for generations.
2025, Record Year for Oakland Goes Outdoors
Oakland Goes Outdoors achieved their highest participation and impact yet during the 2024-2025 school year. Thank you for believing in the power of an outdoors for all!
By the numbers:
- 268 outdoor learning experiences: 75% day trips and 25% overnight trips.
- 6,200+ TK-12th grade students served
- 23 Oakland Unified School District schools supported
- 1,510 adults led or chaperoned a trip
- 35 educators trained by BAWT
- 20,813 hours spent outdoors
- More than 55 destinations visited
- 4% of students participated in more than one trip
- Hundreds of first-tine experiences hiking, kayaking, camping, sailing, and exploring public lands.
Stronger by Nature
Story by: Trust for Public Land
At Trust for Public Land, we know that protecting land and connecting people to nature is key to building resilient, healthy communities. A recent video we produced with our California team highlights local leaders and advocates advancing creative conservation solutions to present-day problems like flooding, extreme heat, and wildfires. Because caring for the land means caring for people.
In the News: Santa Ana River Trail Extends 3.8 Miles with New Segment in Inland Empire
Story by: Rob McMillan, ABC 7 (Los Angeles)
 Bicyclists who use the Santa Ana River Trail in the Inland Empire now have an additional 3.8 miles of road available to traverse. San Bernardino County officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony commemorating the completion of a project extending the trail from Waterman Avenue eastward to California Street in the city of Redlands.
"It brings us one step closer to completing the entire Santa Ana River Trail vision, connecting the Inland Empire to the coast; from the crest of the San Bernardino Mountains to the mouth of the Santa Ana River in Huntington Beach," said Amy Hutzel with the California State Coastal Conservancy.
Sacramento Splash Transforming the Outdoors into a Living Classroom
Story by: Gina Fleming, Director of Development, Sac Splash
For 26 years, Sacramento Splash has transformed the outdoors into a living classroom, connecting more than 220,000 students to hands-on environmental science. In 2024–25 alone, Splash reached 20,475 students and 643 teachers, with over 50% serving Title I, underserved youth, expanding access to meaningful outdoor learning.
Through dynamic programs like Splash in the Class, Project AWE, Investigating Vernal Pools, Youth Environmental Leadership Camp, students learn sustainable farming, explore ecosystems, and think like environmentalists of our great outdoors. Sacramento Splash inspires curiosity, builds confidence, and fosters lifelong environmental stewardship along with teaching youth about careers in science.
Learn more at www.SacSplash.org.
Un Mar de Colores
 Meet the co-founder and executive director of Un Mar de Colores, Mario Ordoñez-Calderón. Based out of San Diego, Un Mar de Colores is a movement where surf, culture, and community come together to transform coastal access. Rooted in Indigenous leadership and built by the community, for the community, they equip youth to heal, grow, and lead. Through surf therapy, environmental education, and mentorship, they nurture the next generation of ocean stewards, proving that when the ocean feels like home, stewardship follows.
We invite you to learn more about Un Mar de Colores and how they are part of the Outdoors for All movement at www.mar-de-colores.org.
$2.5 Million in Grants Available for Nonprofit, Community and Tribal Organizations
California State Parks and Parks California are accepting applications for two grant programs--Arts in California Parks and Santa Cruz Community--designed to support nonprofit, community and tribal organizations in strengthening connections to California’s state parks through art, culture and inclusive community engagement.
$9.2 Million Available for Tribal Multi-Benefit Nature-Based Solutions Projects
CNRA is seeking grant applications supporting the purchase and return of land to tribal ownership and advancing multi-benefit projects working with nature to address the climate and biodiversity crisis.
Apply for Conservation or Outdoor Recreation Community Assistance
National Park Service-Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program welcomes applications from community groups, nonprofit organizations, tribal governments, national parks, and local, state and federal agencies to help you achieve your conservation and outdoor recreation project vision.
Apply for a Climbing Conservation Grant
Access Fund is accepting applications from local climbing organizations, government agencies, conservation organizations, land trusts, grassroots organizations, community organizations, and individuals for projects that preserve or enhance climbing access and opportunities and conserve the climbing environment.
Bringing Trails Close to Home
The International Mountain Bicycling Association’s 2026 Trail Accelerator grant program is accepting applications until March 15 for the planning of new trail systems and bike parks; feasibility studies to examine a wider area for trail development potential; assessments and expansions of older trail networks; etc.
Homegrown Grants
Get up to $50,000 to bring your community project idea to life. T-Mobile is funding projects that foster local connections, like technology upgrades, outdoor spaces, the arts, and community centers.
Outdoor Fund Local Impact Grant Program
Bass Pro Shops grant program supports local organizations and projects that engage communities near their retail locations and align with their conservation pillars of Conserving Wildlife and Habitat and Connecting New Audiences to the Outdoors.
Brownfields and Land Use Technical Assistance
Groundwork USA works with nonprofits of all sizes to help integrate land reuse strategies into their mission-centered work and advance brownfield and land reuse projects that transform underutilized spaces into parks, trails, urban farms, and other community assets.
Help Guide Future Improvements at Salton Sea State Recreation Area
California State Parks is hosting a series of public workshops this month to provide information about a general plan for the Salton Sea State Recreation Area. This plan will establish a long-term vision for the park and serve as its primary management document. It will include goals and guidelines for future recreation opportunities, resource protection and facility development, as well as park improvements, services and programs.
Seeking Public Input: Upper Truckee Marsh South Project
The California Tahoe Conservancy is seeking public feedback on the planning process for restoration and public access improvements at the south end of the Upper Truckee Marsh in South Lake Tahoe, including the site of the former Motel 6.
We invite you to attend our upcoming public meetings. Participation is open to all, and we are dedicated to creating an inclusive environment where individuals of all abilities can take part. If you require an accommodation, please click on the links below for support.
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The Trailblazer newsletter is issued each month to deliver up-to-date information on the Outdoors for All Initiative. This initiative (movement) is expanding parks and outdoor spaces in communities that need them the most, supporting programs to connect people who lack access, fostering a sense of belonging for all Californians outdoors, and much more. For questions or comments, please contact: outdoors@resources.ca.gov.
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