Ukiah Daily Journal
Published July 15 , 2005

Supervisor testifies for wilderness protection

By Quincy Cromer

Mendocino County Supervisor Jim Wattenburger testified before the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Forests Thursday in support of a bill designed to permanently protect some 300,000 acres of public land as wilderness in Northern California.

Wattenburger, a former battalion chief for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, molded his testimony around benefits the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act provides.

"It will preserve our spectacular scenery and unmatched opportunities for outdoor recreation. It will keep our air and water clean and allow us to pass our natural heritage on to future generations," Wattenburger testified.

"It will safeguard over 300 miles of important salmon and steelhead fisheries, thereby protecting commercial and recreational fishing on the North Coast. And it will help the economy of the region by attracting tourists and new residents drawn by the North Coast's unmatched quality of life."

Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Napa Valley, presented the bill in the House on the first day of the 109th Congress and it was also introduced by Democratic Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein in late January.

The measure would also protect 21 miles of the Black Butte River as a wild and scenic river and guard all land from logging, illegal off-road vehicle use and other destructive activities.

All land in the legislation is already publicly owned, meaning no private property would be affected by the bill.

"The sponsors also went to great lengths to ensure that existing access to private property would be protected, with Senator Feinstein even adding clarifying language preserving current access for in-holders in the King Range," Wattenburger said.

"Existing grazing rights will be unaffected, and the sponsors employed thorough due diligence in their modifications for fire and fire management concerns."

Supervisors and local citizens from Mendocino, Humboldt, Del Norte, Lake and Napa counties were in attendance for the hearing, covering a diverse mix of interests including business, agricultural, equestrian, hunters, outdoor enthusiasts, conservation groups and elected officials.

California State Sen. Sam Aanestad, R-Grass Valley, also testified before the subcommittee, citing that the measure would restrict public access to the land and increase wildfire risks.

"The people of Del Norte County stand to lose more than 40,000 acres of public land under this bill, and they want no part of it. Wilderness designations cost jobs, rob communities of important resources, increase fire risks and present no substantial benefit for the Northern California economy," Aanestad said.

According to Aanestad's office, Thompson authored HR 233 despite stiff opposition from local elected officials in Del Norte County, who requested that no additional lands be converted to wilderness in the area.

Wattenburger testified that the legislation has overwhelming support in Mendocino County and submitted a list of more than 200 local interests who back the legislation.

Supporters include some 40 county and municipal elected officials, tribes, religious groups, in-holders, citizen organizations and other small businesses.

"Representative Thompson and Senators Feinstein and Boxer consulted with local land managers, community leaders and private landowners over fire issues and made 17 modifications to an earlier version of the bill for the purposes of fire management alone," Wattenburger testified.

Changes made during modifications include adjusted boundaries to remove some 27,000 acres from the proposal and additional clarifying management language, according to Wattenburger's testimony.

"They adjusted boundaries and removed areas in response to local resident or agency recommendations to pursue aggressive fuel load reduction in places where such actions were deemed necessary," he said.

As a former firefighter, Wattenburger testified that he clearly understands the need to protect the community and property from wildland fires

"I am confident that this bill reflects thoughtful, thorough and more than sufficient accommodations to mitigate fire risk and fire management concerns for the land affected," he said.

Wattenburger spoke about the potential economic benefits the legislation poses for the area and asked the subcommittee to support the measure that is backed by thousands of 1st District residents.

"Tourism is an important part of our economy along with timber, fishing, agriculture and retail. The areas proposed for protection are considered poor candidates for logging but are well suited to attract visitors who want to hike, boat, hunt and fish," he said.

"These visitors will eat at our restaurants, stay at our hotels and shop in our stores. By creating new destinations on the map, this bill will draw new people to the region and certainly help bolster these segments of the North Coast economy."

Thompson spokesman Matt Gerien said the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act will be held for markup until it is presented to the House Resources Committee, where representatives will have an opportunity to vote on the bill.

"This is the farthest this bill has gone in the House of Representatives. Congressman Thompson has been promised a hearing for a little over a year now and this is the first time it has occurred in the House," Gerien said.

The bill presented in the Senate by Boxer and Feinstein has already passed committee and is awaiting a floor vote.

Over the past 20 years, some 700,000 acres of potential wilderness has been lost to development and destruction in California, according to Thompson's office, which said 90 percent of California's remaining public wild lands will be lost in the next century if action is not taken for permanent protection.

Additional information about the wild areas included in the legislation is available at www.californiawild.org

© Copyright 2005 by Ukiah Daily Journal