November 15, 2006
On October 17, the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act of 2006 became federal law. The bill added 275,830 acres of federal public roadless land to the Federal Wilderness Preservation System, officially designated as Wilderness. It also protects segments of the Black Butte River (a tributary of the Middle Fork Eel) as Wild and Scenic for 21 miles on existing federal public land, with an additional 6,563 acres for a grand total of 282,393 new Wilderness acres.
You may ask, "How did this happen?" I can tell you my story, while other activists and wilderness lovers have their own stories.
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So I went to a meeting and learned how to inventory boundaries, how to draw little dirt roads on maps, and how to talk to hunters and hikers about my "survey" without mentioning Wilderness, often a dirty word and subject to cursing and suspicion. I rousted Humboldt State University students to join me as we solicited letters of support from businesses and elected officials in Arcata, Eureka, Southern Humboldt County, and Mendocino County. We went onto hikes, lots of hikes. We searched for old trailheads and fixed flat tires. We pulled each other out of ditches and back up on ridges. We got lost and found, laughed a lot, slept under the stars in the middle of nowhere, and listened to mountain lions screeching in the night.
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We see this bill as a great success, a monumental grassroots effort over seven years. We thank Congressman Mike Thompson, Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, the California Wild Heritage Campaign, and all the unsung volunteers who made the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act of 2006 become law--and an environmental legacy--on October 17, 2006.
For more information please visit www.californiawild.org
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* All of the areas are in Congressman Mike Thompson's 1st Congressional District including Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Lake, and Napa Counties.
* Siskiyou Wilderness Additions: include East Fork Blue Creek, Nickowitz Peak vicinity, and Bear Basin Butte--30,122 acres
*1 Trinity Alps Wilderness Additions--22,863 acres
* Mount Lassic Wilderness--7,279 acres
* King Range Wilderness: includes Chemise Mountain--42,585 acres
* South Fork Eel Wilderness: includes Cahto Peak, Elkhorn Ridge, Brush Mountain, Red Mountain--24,186 acres
*1 Yolla Bolly Middle Eel Wilderness Additions--27,036 acres
* Yuki Wilderness--53,887 acres
* Sanhedrin Wilderness--10,571 acres
* Snow Mountain Wilderness Additions--23,706 acres
* Cedar Roughs Wilderness, Napa County--6,350 acres
* Cache Creek Wilderness--27,245 acres
* Black Butte Wild and Scenic River--6,563 acres in 21 river miles
* Designates 51,513-acre "Cow Mountain Recreation Area" outside Ukiah, essentially mirroring the BLM's current management of the mountain, which is half ORV use and half non-motorized recreation, including substantial mountain bicycle use.
* Authorizes extension to heirs of 15-20 commercial fishing/driving permits on Gold Bluffs Beach, Redwood National Park
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TOC for Forest & River News, Fall 2006