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CONTACT
Derek Chernow
916-442-3155 ext. 207
310-710-0306 cell
Conservation Measure to Protect Vital Public Lands and Waters
RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA – Today, Congresswoman Mary Bono (R-Palm Springs) publicly introduced the California Desert and Mountain Heritage Act (H.R. 6270). This visionary draft wilderness and wild rivers bill would designate approximately 125,000 acres throughout Riverside County as wilderness and designate portions of the North Fork San Jacinto River, Bautista Creek, and Palm Canyon as “wild and scenic”. Leading conservation organizations joined local elected officials, business owners, and community leaders in praising the bill, which Rep. Bono introduced as a draft while asking for public input over the coming months to shape it for re-introduction in the 2007-08 Congressional Session.
“This bill would permanently protect some of Riverside County’s most important wild lands and rivers,” said William Meadows, President of The Wilderness Society. “I applaud Congresswoman Bono for taking this enormous step in conserving our wild heritage for generations to come.”
The bill would grant wilderness designation to potential additions to the Agua Tibia and San Jacinto wilderness areas, and within Joshua Tree National Park. New wilderness lands would be created for Beauty Mountain, Cahuilla Mountain, and South Fork San Jacinto. Together, these wild public lands encompass steep mountains, winding canyons, and rugged desert landscapes. The region provides critical habitat to endangered bighorn sheep and desert tortoise, and harbors chaparral, black oak, juniper and pine woodlands and the famous Joshua Tree forests. Within Joshua Tree National Park, two desert ecosystems converge dramatically: the dry cactus gardens of the Colorado Desert and the Joshua tree forests of the cooler Mojave Desert. Well-known around the world, these wild lands are visited by millions of people every year, providing a boost to the local economy.
“I am pleased that Congresswoman Bono has introduced this important bill. Her legislation will help preserve the rich cultural, economic, recreational, and natural heritage of Riverside County that millions of people have come to appreciate,” said Bill Havert, Executive Director of the Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy. “Future generations of local families and visitors will be grateful to Congresswoman Bono for leading the effort to preserve these lands in perpetuity,” added Havert.
Besides potentially adding 125,000 acres to our national wilderness preservation system, the bill would also designate approximately 31 river miles as wild and scenic. Flows from the North Fork San Jacinto River and Fuller Creek, Bautista Creek, and Palm Canyon, provide outstanding wildlife, botanical, and cultural values. For example, the North Fork provides habitat to the last remaining population of mountain yellow-legged frog in the San Jacinto Mountains. Palm Canyon has been used by Native Americans for thousands of years. In addition, Bautista Creek supports the largest number of endangered wildlife species within the San Bernardino National Forest, and is adjacent to a designated National Historic Trail.
“Following in the tradition of the first Joshua Tree National Park wilderness designation signed in to law by former President Gerald Ford, Congresswoman Bono is proposing to add to Riverside County’s rich natural heritage,” said Howard Gross, California Desert Senior Program Manager for the National Parks Conservation Association. “These wild places are home to a tremendous amount of unique flora and fauna and provide important watershed protection. I thank Congresswoman Bono for putting into action the community’s desire to preserve our landscapes, waters, and natural legacy.”
Local wilderness and conservation advocates have been doing outreach in local communities for years to protect these special places. These advocates and Congresswoman Bono’s office consulted with local land managers, user groups, Tribes and other local stakeholders in drafting the proposal. They made numerous changes to the draft bill to address local concerns, such as adjusting boundaries to exclude fire breaks, setting boundaries back from a major highway, and adjusting boundaries to exclude a pipeline at the request of the Hemet Water District.
As a result of this inclusive process the draft proposal enjoys the support of the Ramona Band of Cahuilla Mission Indians, Riverside County Supervisors Roy Wilson and Jeff Stone who represent the proposed areas, and numerous local business owners who benefit from recreational visits to the district. Conservationists expressed their interest in taking part in the local process Representative Bono has started, to give input and listen to other stakeholders as well in the hopes of crafting the bill to be introduced in the 110th Congress.
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The California Wild Heritage Campaign (www.californiawild.org) is a non-partisan, broad-based coalition of everyday citizens who share a common goal of ensuring the permanent protection of California's remaining wild lands and rivers. We are business-owners, anglers, hunters, vintners, scientists, outdoor enthusiasts, people of faith, conservation groups, and much more.
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Copyright © 2006 by California Wild Heritage Campaign.