Legislation Will Protect California's Northwest
Wild Lands & River

SACRAMENTO - Yesterday Congress took an important step in permanently protecting California's wild places with the introduction of the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act of 2003. The bill, introduced by Representative Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), covers 303,924 acres and 21 river miles of some of the state's most spectacular scenery and important fish and wildlife habitat.

"This legislation by Congressman Thompson and Senator Boxer is invaluable and deserves full support. It protects food and jobs," said Zeke Grader, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, the largest and most politically active trade association of commercial fishermen on the west coast. "If passed, this bill will safeguard critical habitat for threatened salmon species, which is key to protecting the livelihood of the working family fisher men and women."

The Thompson/Boxer bill will preserve unique landscapes and diverse ecosystems of California's coastal region by designating certain public lands as wilderness in Humboldt, Del Norte, Mendocino, Lake, and Napa counties and designating segments of the Black Butte River in Mendocino County as a Wild and Scenic River. The bill will also promote opportunities for compatible recreation, such as horseback riding, hunting, fishing, hiking, camping and whitewater rafting.

"The Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act will protect some of our state's last truly wild places," said Mel Lynn, a hunter and outdoorsman in Mendocino County. "Hunting and generally just enjoying these wild lands and rivers is important to me, and protecting them is critically important for our fish and wildlife."

Approximately 13 percent of California is protected by law as wilderness. Last year, Thompson and Boxer, along with Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA), sponsored the California Wild Heritage Act to designate 2.5 million acres of public lands as wilderness in California, and add 440 miles of rivers to the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers system. The Wild Heritage Act, expected to be reintroduced this year, spans the length of the state, from additions to the Siskiyou Mountains in the north to Eagle Peak near San Diego in the south.

"Many of us choose to live in California because of our quality of life, and our state's unique wild places have so much to do with that," stated Ed Robey, a Lake County Supervisor. "Now's the time to protect these lands and rivers, so that future generations can enjoy what we do today."

Nearly 7.5 million acres of wilderness-quality lands in California remain unprotected. But support for preserving more wild lands for future generations is high. A recent poll by Zogby International found that Americans want more public land protected as wilderness in their state, including 62 percent of Westerners.

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