The CZU Lightning Complex fires torched hundreds of homes and burned nearly every structure in Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Flooding on the Pajaro River, San Lorenzo River and Soquel Creek left towns underwater and upended lives. Runoff of sediments and pollution impair the water quality of the San Lorenzo River and Pinto Lake.

The impacts of these disasters and water quality issues are a reality for residents across Santa Cruz County and will only worsen if we continue to use conventional approaches. Instead, there are nature-based strategies that can help reduce these impacts and protect our natural environment so it will be more resilient to the growing effects of climate change. We should not wait for the state or federal governments to step in. Thanks to Measure Q, the Water & Wildfire Protection Act, we don’t have to.

Measure Q will allow our community to invest in proven long-term strategies led by qualified local experts that will help protect our redwood forests, natural water sources, wildlife habitats and infrastructure for generations to come. The kinds of projects that would be funded include forest fuel load reduction, prescribed burns, river restoration, erosion control and groundwater recharge.

The funding will come from collecting $87 annually for each land parcel in Santa Cruz County, raising an estimated $7.3 million every year. With Measure Q’s emphasis on providing matching funds, this could attract millions more in the form of state and federal grants. The funds legally can only be spent on the activities described in Measure Q, and they cannot be raided by federal, state or county government agencies.

One-hundred percent of Measure Q funds will go into a dedicated fund to be invested in the following key areas: 40%, the largest amount, will be available in an annual grant program that nonprofits and public agencies can access; 20% will be allocated to incorporated cities in the county to invest in parks or nature-based public works projects; 20% will be invested in programs like clearing brush from evacuation routes; and 20% will go toward projects on private lands benefitting the public, where the Resource Conservation District and other partners will support programs like chipping and reduction of fuels near homes or addressing erosion.

Decisions on how to spend the funds will be made in public and not behind closed doors. There will be a nine-member committee of local residents, who will review all proposed spending and ensure annual audits are conducted. Residents from throughout the county, including unincorporated areas, will be eligible to serve on the committee. Final spending decisions will be made by the county Board of Supervisors at public meetings, with all spending required to follow the provisions of the Measure Q ballot language.

Projects like fuel reduction and prescribed burning will reduce wildfire risk, making firefighters’ jobs easier. That’s why the Professional Firefighters of Santa Cruz County, Local 3535, endorsed Measure Q, along with the Fire Safe Council of Santa Cruz County and the Central Coast Prescribed Burn Association.

If Measure Q doesn’t pass, our communities will continue to struggle to withstand intensifying climate impacts. Federal, state and local elected officials support Measure Q for this reason, including U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, state Sen. John Laird, Assemblymembers Dawn Addis and Gail Pellerin and all five county supervisors. In addition, a broad range of local organizations dedicated to environmental projection endorse Measure Q.

Measure Q will be Santa Cruz County’s first investment dedicated to creating a more resilient natural environment that is better able to protect our community and our way of life. Please join us in voting yes on Measure Q.

Katie Thompson serves as executive director of Save Our Shores. Jared Childress is the program manager for the Central Coast Prescribed Burn Association and is a Bonny Doon volunteer firefighter. Sarah Newkirk serves as the executive director of the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County.