From: www.sharetrails.com and www.eurekareporter.com
Foreward by R. Cunningham
California ranks second in terms of acreage of Wilderness and protected habitat, behind Alaska. The California Wild Heritage Act, a massive Wilderness bill that would have doubled the state’s Wilderness, failed to garner enough votes. Its authors split it into smaller pieces with the intention of making it easier to send Congress the same bill in smaller, 300,000-acre chunks. The Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Act was the first entry. It may not have passed if IMBA or The Blueribbon Coalition hadn’t jumped in and demanded that traditional mountain biking trails and OHV areas were excluded from the maps. It was a negotiated win that will serve as a precedent for future Wilderness legislation.
Local populations were informed by controversial BRC information drives about the ramifications and changes that would follow their move to neighboring highly restricted Congressionally-designated Wilderness lands. The compromises achieved land access for rank-and-file recreationists in traditional areas. They also saved many miles of mountain biking trails. It also prevented ranchers and private land owners from being pushed out by restrictive government land use restrictions.
This bill has been rewritten, and it is not perfect. The country needs a second-tier preservation law to protect and set aside critical habitat for the rest of eternity. However, this law should not restrict recreational travel or limit its use to those in place one year before Columbus arrived.
Here’s how the BRC reacted to the Wilderness bill
EUREKA (CA) (April 19th) – A national recreation organization meets with constituents from Northwest California to discuss access and economic implications of the Wilderness designation. BlueRibbon Coalition met with local off-highway vehicle groups (OHV), inholders and beach users to discuss Congressman Mike Thompson’s (D-Napa), 300,000-acre Northern California Wilderness Act HR 233.
The historic tour to promote public land access in Redwood Empire was held in Garberville and Crescent City on April 6, 7, and 8. Open Beaches & Trails Group was represented by the American Motorcyclist Association’s District 36, Surfers Public Access Restoration Coalition and North Coast Recreation Coalition. Cliff Hangers 4WD Club, Humboldt Track and Trail and Far West Motorcycle Club were also present. Off-Highway Solutions, Friends of the Beach and the Grange were also represented.
Don Amador, the western representative of the BlueRibbon Coalition said that the message was loud and clear: People are fed up by the Wilderness lobby’s efforts to restrict public land access or use.
Many believe that the creation of Redwood National Park in 1970s created thousands of jobs and has decimated the rural economies of Humboldt County and Del Norte Counties. They are sick of the false promises made by eco-tourism. Amador stated that the 30-year decline of the region’s economy was directly linked to the increased land-use restrictions on federal lands over the same period.
Recreationists must support Thompson’s bill in any form. This means that Congress must offer some relief by reopening roads and trails for OHVs and equestrians. They must also fulfill their promises to provide wood and recreational opportunities, as was the case with the Smith River National Recreation Area. Amador says that ranchers should be allowed to graze cattle on federal areas to reduce wildfires. It is also important to ensure that surfers, beach fishermen and other coastal users have access.
At least one parcel of HR233 I believe meets the original intent for the 1964 Wilderness Act. Active management should be promoted to reduce fuel-loading. Some areas that are currently closed should be reopened to multiple-use recreation.
Scott Sinclair, an ex-board member of the BRC and local access advocate, deserves a big thank you for his check presentation at the Eureka meeting. Amador concluded that it is because of Scott’s grassroots support and the help of others in the region that we can strongly promote our managed-access agenda.
The following excerpt is from The Eureka Reporter. It’s a more centrist view of the compromise. However, it still reflects that public access, traditional users groups, and private land owners will all have a stake at future Wilderness legislation. At the very least, we will be considered serious participants at the negotiations table.
Major hurdle cleared by Thompson’s wilderness legislation
Nathan Rushton, 7/19/2006
After months of stalling in a U.S. House of Representatives committee, a revision of the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Act that allowed for some off-highway access was passed Wednesday.
The House will vote on the revised bill next week, as part of a compromise reached between its author, U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (D–St. Helena), and the U.S. House Resources Committee headed by U.S. Rep. Richard Pombo.
The bill will permanently protect more northern California’s public land as wilderness and approximately 79,000 acres as recreation area in Humboldt Lake, Mendocino, Napa counties.
Thompson stated in interviews previously that he worked hard to ensure the wilderness bill would not affect any roads or private lands, nor alter any grazing rights. He will also designate a recreation area in Mendocino County to allow off-highway vehicles to use.
This bipartisan and widely supported bill will ensure that one our nation’s most precious treasures is protected for future generations. Thompson stated this in a news release. We are now closer than ever to signing the important bill into law with the support of our colleagues in the Senate, Chairman Pombo, and all the dedicated Californians. ?
But not everyone is as keen to pay the bill.
BlueRibbon Coalition is a national group that promotes off-highway vehicle recreation. It announced Wednesday that it would support the new access/recreation provisions in the bill but was disappointed by other aspects.
Don Amador, BRC Western Representative, announced last week the results of a survey that the group had commissioned. The survey showed that 53 percent of approximately 4,000 residents of the county favored a wilderness designation to protect OHV activities.
I believe that the accessibility-oriented efforts, such as the BlueRibbon Coalition’s recent survey and local groups like Open Beaches and Trails, helped push the Thompson bill towards middle? Amador said. Amador said, « I am sorry that Black Sands Beach was not reopened on King Range. But getting the Mad River Buttes removed from the bill, having Congress codify many of OHV and mountain biking trails in different units, and conserving fishing access at Redwood National Park are victories for multiple-use interests. ?
A flurry positive comments were made by elected officials from the area, including Eurekas Mayor Peter La Vallee, and Humboldt County 3rd district Supervisor John Woolley, in response to Wednesday’s committee action.
Congress has put a lot of effort into declaring Humboldt County areas federally protected wilderness. We are very grateful for that. Your diligence in making this important goal a reality. Woolley stated.
