Santa Rosa Press Democrat
Published January 25, 2005

Bill to protect North Coast wilderness revived

By Glenda Anderson

Despite two straight defeats, Northern California lawmakers are making another attempt to persuade Congress to protect more than 310,000 acres on the North Coast as federal wilderness.

This time, backers believe they have marshaled enough bipartisan support to push the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Act through Congress, said Matt Gerien, a spokesman for Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena.

The measure would expand some existing wilderness areas and create new wilderness areas on public land in Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Del Norte and Humboldt counties. It primarily affects portions of the Mendocino National Forest, King Range and Six Rivers National Forest.

"This legislation will help preserve and protect more than 300,000 acres of California wilderness for future generations, including some of the most magnificent areas in our state," said Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., who introduced the bill Monday in the Senate with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

Thompson introduced a similar version in the House of Representatives on Jan. 4, the first day of the 109th Congress.

Wilderness designations ban development and commercial activities, including oil drilling and logging. No additional roads would be allowed on the lands listed in the bill, Gerien said. "It's the highest level of protection," he said.

Hiking, horseback riding, hunting, fishing, cross-country skiing and canoeing are allowed in wilderness areas, but off-road vehicles and mountain bikes are not.

Existing roads and grazing rights are unaffected by the proposed legislation.

The bill would also designate 19 miles of the Black Butte River in Mendocino County as a wild and scenic river.

Gerien said the bill is headed to the House Resources Committee.

Despite past failures, Thompson and Gerien are optimistic the bill will be approved this congressional session.

"It has a wide group of supporters," Gerien said.

Backers include several wineries, numerous conservation groups and a few people in the logging industry, including Art Harwood of Harwood Industries in Mendocino County.

Previous versions of the bill died in Congress. The Senate passed the bill unanimously in December, but time ran out before the House could consider it.

In 2003, the bill wasn't a priority with lawmakers, Gerien said.

"In 2003, there weren't many Democratic bills passing. The focus was on the war on terror," Gerien said.

© Copyright 2005 by Santa Rosa Press-Democrat