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Pamela Flick, 916-203-6927
Traci Sheehan Van Thull, 916-442-3155 x222
Bill Passes Key Senate Committee, Governor Endorses North Coast Conservation Legislation
SACRAMENTO, CA – Today wilderness and wild river advocates from around the state celebrated the passage of the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act (S. 128) out of a key senate panel. The bill, sponsored by Representative Mike Thompson and Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, would designate more than 300,000 acres of wilderness and 21 miles of wild and scenic rivers along California's North Coast.
"We're excited to see this broadly supported bill moving forward," said John Woolley, Humboldt County Supervisor. "Our thanks go out to Rep. Thompson and Sens. Boxer and Feinstein for their vision and leadership with this legislation."
Subcommittee Chairman Larry Craig (R-ID) once again praised the bill's sponsors for the work that went into fine tuning this legislation. Thompson, Boxer, and Feinstein conducted an extensive, inclusive process by seeking out, meeting with, and addressing the concerns of all affected stakeholders. As a result of four years of hard work, they have garnered the support of more than 40 local elected officials from both sides of the political aisle, local land owners, businesses, timber mills, scientists, mountain bikers, Native Americans, hunters, anglers, winemakers, religious groups, federal agencies and members of other diverse user groups. Senator Feinstein sits on the Energy and Resources Committee, and her support was integral in seeing this legislation through the panel.
This committee passage comes on the heels of Governor Schwarzenegger's announcement of support for H.R. 233 in a letter to House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo (R-Stockton) urging for the bill's "favorable consideration."
"Just as we are thanking Governor Schwarzenegger today, so too will future generations of Californians and Americans who will remember that he helped conserve these wild places," said Peter Windrem, a hunter and equestrian who resides in Lake County. "We are one step closer to protecting a clean water supply for Northern California."
Some of Northern California's most spectacular wild lands are included in this proposal, such as the King Range – the longest stretch of undeveloped coastline in the lower 48 states – with towering peaks over 4,000 feet directly next to the Pacific Ocean. Cache Creek, home to California's second largest wintering bald eagle population, would also be protected by the legislation. The bill proposes additions to the Siskiyou Wilderness, a critical area for California's remaining Chinook and coho salmon and steelhead trout. In addition, the legislation would designate as wild and scenic the Black Butte River, one of the most undeveloped watersheds, which provides important salmon and steelhead spawning habitat.
"We applaud the governor's endorsement of this wilderness legislation which solidifies the broad, bipartisan local and statewide support for protecting the North Coast's wild areas," said Traci Sheehan Van Thull, Director of the California Wild Heritage Campaign, a coalition of more than 400 environmental organizations, businesses, and recreational and faith-based groups. "With the governor backing this proposal and the hard work of its congressional sponsors, the wilderness bill is poised to move expeditiously through Congress this year, especially in light of today's passage out of the Senate Energy and Resources Committee."
For more information about the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act, visit http://www.californiawild.org
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Copyright © 2004 by California Wild Heritage Campaign.