Wilderness scores as 2004 ends

The close of 2004 brought important wilderness news for both California and Nevada.

On Dec. 7, in a grand last-minute surprise in the closing hours of the session, the Senate passed the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Act (S. 738). The bill, championed by Sen. Barbara Boxer and vigorously supported by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, passed "by unanimous consent" in a package with several other lands bills from other regions. Although the last-minute Senate action wasn't matched in the House of Representatives, it does boost the momentum for the bill in 2005.

The bill would give wilderness protection to nearly 300,000 acres and 21 river miles of Northern California's federal public lands and streams. It includes remote and beautiful portions of the Mendocino and Six Rivers National Forests as well as a long stretch of undeveloped beach and coastal bluffs in Humboldt and Mendocino counties.

The bill never got a hearing before the House Resources Committee, whose chair is Rep. Richard Pombo (R-Tracy), but the bill's House sponsor, Rep. Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena), is optimistic he can work with Pombo to move forward next year. "The bill continues to be Rep. Thompson's top priority," said spokesman Matt Gerien.

At the same time that we credit our legislators, we know that the enormous progress toward wilderness protection resulted mainly from the enthusiastic and relentless hard work of countless Sierra Club and California Wild Heritage Campaign volunteers and staff, whose detailed field work, positive wilderness education in far-flung communities, and patient lobbying set the stage for action in Congress. Our tactics of motivating the grassroots and securing support from local elected officials from both parties, anglers and hunters, local VIPs and businesses, and other community leaders has paid off well indeed.

Nevada Wilderness expanded, but bill raises concerns

With President Bush's signing of the Lincoln County Conservation, Recreation, and Development Act of 2004 on Nov. 30, Nevada for the third Congress in a row led the nation in amount of wilderness designated. The bill creates 768,000 acres of wilderness in Eastern Nevada. Once again, Sen. Harry Reid led the fight for huge new wilderness additions in once-neglected Nevada, and he deserves thanks for this leadership.

The Sierra Club opposed the bill as written, however, because of its potentially damaging provisions increasing the likelihood of water transfers from rural Eastern Nevada to feed the already out-of-control sprawl growth around Las Vegas. The Club worked hard to improve the bill, and several of its provisions will give us future opportunities to ensure that no damage is done to Nevada's fragile desert ecology through land or water development.

Wilderness activists applaud the new wilderness protection while decrying the dewatering of Eastern Nevada and the facilitation of growth around Las Vegas.

What You Can Do

Next March 25 - 29 the Club's California/Nevada Wilderness Committee will conduct a five-day trip to the largest of the new wilderness areas in southern Lincoln County, the Mormon Mountains. This rugged desert area is one of the "Big Four", four large new wilderness areas, separated only by narrow dirt roads, that together provide nearly half a million acres of excellent wildlife habitat. For details, contact Vicky Hoover at (425) 977-5527 or by after Jan. 15

Please help us give our California congressional wilderness champions the praise they deserve! Write to:

Sen. Barbara Boxer
1700 Montgomery St., #240
San Francisco, CA 94111
or http://boxer.senate.gov/contact/webform.cfm

Sen. Dianne Feinstein
One Post St., #2450
San Francisco, CA 94104
or http://feinstein.senate.gov/email.html

Rep. Mike Thompson
1040 Main St., #101
Napa, CA 94559
or http://mikethompson.house.gov/contact/email.asp

Let them know that you appreciate their hard work to protect California's last wild places. Real cards or letters are best, but e-mail will help.

Vicky Hoover, chair, California/Nevada Regional Wilderness Committee, (415) 977-5527 or