Wilderness Bill to Designate 273,000 Acres in Northern California
By Mike Taugher, Contra Costa Times
September 30, 2006

The longest stretch of undeveloped coastline in the continental United States and wooded canyons about 100 miles north of the East Bay will come under the nation's strictest environmental protection after a wilderness bill passed the U.S. Senate on Friday.

The legislation, which President Bush is expected to sign, would designate 273,000 acres in Northern California as wilderness, including the spectacular 42,000-acre King Range, or "Lost Coast" in Humboldt County.

The bill also puts 27,000 acres around Cache Creek, in Lake County, into the federal wilderness system wherein logging, building roads and mining are not allowed.

"The King Range -- that's the crown jewel, not just for this wilderness bill but for all the wilderness" areas in the United States, said Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Napa, the author of the bill.

In all, the new wilderness areas would cover parts of five counties -- Napa, Humboldt, Mendocino, Lake and Del Norte --in Thompson's congressional district. The bill also designates the 21-mile Black Butte River in the Mendocino National Forest as a wild and scenic river.

In addition, the bill says 51,000 acres of Cow Mountain in Mendocino and Lake counties should be managed for off-road vehicles and mountain biking, part of a trade-off in Congress to gain support for the new wilderness designations.

It is the largest wilderness bill for California to pass in Congress since 1994, when the California Desert Protection Act created 7.5 million acres of new wilderness in the Mojave desert. And it is the first California wilderness bill since 57,000 acres were designated along the Big Sur coast and nearby areas four years ago.

"It will result in the protection of some of the most spectacular remaining wild places on the North Coast," said Ryan Henson, policy director for the California Wilderness Coalition.

Under the 1964 Wilderness Act, wilderness areas are places where people visit but do not remain. Mechanized equipment, including chainsaws, power tools and even bicycles are not allowed.

Mechanized equipment for firefighting would be allowed in the new wilderness areas, however.

"It doesn't diminish the quality of the wilderness area one bit," Thompson said.

The bill is a pared down version of a 2.5 million-acre bill that Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer launched four years ago. That bill faced stiff opposition from Republicans in the House of Representatives, but House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo, R-Tracy, was receptive to Thompson's approach, which included working with off-road vehicle enthusiasts and other potential opponents.

"It's an ... example of how things are supposed to be done," Thompson said. "We brought all the stakeholders to the table."

The California Forestry Association, which represents the state's timber industry, did not take a position on the bill, said association President David Bischel.

The Western representative for an organization of off-road enthusiasts said that for wilderness legislation, the bill is a good one.

"Even though it is not a perfect bill ... the fact is that many important off-road and mountain bike routes in or near the wilderness areas are now codified by Congress for our use," said Don Amador, an Oakley resident who is the Western regional representative for the Blue Ribbon Coalition.

The head of a conservation group that focuses on Cache Creek, which is a state-designated wild and scenic river, credited Thompson and Boxer for passing the legislation.

"We are pleased that the wild heart of our region will be protected with both a federal wilderness and a state wild and scenic river," said Bob Schneider, president of Tuleyome.

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