North Coast Wilderness Bill advances in Congress

The Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act (H.R. 233/S. 128) has taken a big leap forward. A House hearing in the Resources Committee took place in mid-July, and on July 26 the Senate unanimously passed the bill.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Napa Valley) and California Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, has now progressed further than any previous attempt at preserving these last remaining wild spaces along California's spectacular North Coast. The bill will protect 300,000 acres of wilderness and 21 miles of wild-and-scenic river on federal lands in Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino and Napa Counties, as well as a segment of the Black Butte River.

The bill has robust local support due to the inclusive process the sponsors used in crafting the legislation. In a regional demonstration of political support, 20 of the 24 county supervisors in the five counties encompassed by H.R. 233 are on record in favor of it. Both Republicans and Democrats have expressed support, including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. At the key House Resources subcommittee hearing in Washington, DC, 20 local volunteers were present, a diverse mix of business and agricultural interests, equestrians, hunters, outdoor enthusiasts, conservation groups, and elected officials from both political parties. They included a Republican supervisor and ex-battalion chief for the state Department of Forestry, a past president of the California Mining Association, a local forester who at the beginning opposed the bill, and a leader in the Lake County equestrian community who is also a past Farm Bureau president for that county.

The bill now awaits a vote in the full House Resources Committee.

Also on July 26, the Senate passed three other wilderness bills strongly supported by conservationists: the "Wild Sky" wilderness bill for Washington state, the Ojito bill for New Mexico, and the Caribbean National Forest Act, for a 10,000-acre El Toro Wilderness in Puerto Rico, the first tropical-forest wilderness in the United States.

WhatYouCanDo

Please send a quick thank-you letter to the North Coast bill champions, Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer at:

U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Feinstein fax: (202)228-3954
Boxer fax: (213)894-5042

and to Rep. Mike Thompson at:
House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
fax: (202)225-4335.

compiled by Vicky Hoover from California Wild Heritage Campaign reports