Eureka Times-Standard
Thompson bill would protect 840,000 acres as wilderness
By John Driscoll The Times-Standard
Wednesday, June 19, 2002 -
U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson introduced legislation Tuesday that would make
nearly 840,000 acres of federal land in Northern California wilderness if
it and Senate
legislation runs the gauntlet of Congress.
About half those acres are in Humboldt, Del Norte, Trinity and Siskiyou
Counties.
Thompson, D-Napa, represents the the First District which includes some
of the lands included in the bill.
Environmentalists and wilderness advocates see the bill as a blessing
that will preempt logging and mining, protecting the land from future
damage. Sentiment from
some counties on a similar bill authored by U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer of
California shows staunch opposition to further restrictions on federal
property.
The House and Senate versions of the bill aim to place some 2.4 million
acres under wilderness protection. Rep. Hilda Solis, D-El Monte, has
authored House legislation
covering about 1.5 million acres in Southern California. All tolled, that
would jump the percentage of wilderness areas from 13 to 16.5 percent of
land in California. It is
also expected to reduce logging on public lands by 10 percent.
Many of the proposed wilderness areas are in what are called roadless
areas already. Essentially that means no roads may be built in the area
unless forest
supervisors get permission from higher-ups. Cutting fire lines with
machinery and some other tasks also require similar permission. Proponents
said that no areas
legally open to vehicles now will be closed.
Many of the areas are extremely remote, and unlike public lands in
Southern California are unlikely to be encroached on by development anytime
in the foreseeable
future. But Thompson spokesman Jonathan Birdsong said the legislation is
looking far into the future.
"It would be a shame not to protect these areas," Birdsong said. "Someday
they may not be as remote anymore."
The proposed wilderness area closest to the Eureka area is Mad River
Buttes. The 5,740-acre area, which can be accessed by Titlow Hill Road,
holds the headwaters of
Redwood Creek. "Mind-blowing" wildflowers, old-growth forest and views
that stretch from the Pacific Ocean to Shasta Mountain are among the area's
special aesthetic
traits, said California Wilderness Coalition conservation associate Ryan
Henson.
"The areas that Congressman Thompson is working to protect are critical
refuges for salmon and other species, and are among the most beautiful
places in California,"
Henson said.
Nearly 100,000 acres are proposed as additions to the Trinity Alps
Wilderness in the Horse Linto Creek and Red Cap Creek drainages, part of
which burned in the 1999
Megram Fire. Another 87,000 acres are proposed to be added to the
Siskiyou Wilderness in Humboldt and Del Norte counties. The 7,300-acre
Mount Lassic area boasts
rare plants, old-growth forest and seasonal wetlands, and about 5 miles
of the Van Duzen River runs through it.
Of the 958,000 acres in Six Rivers National Forest, 123,150 are currently
designated as wilderness.
Six Rivers Supervisor Lou Woltering said that little will change from a
fire management perspective if roadless area and changed to wilderness.
"Because of the way we're managing them now, I doubt that there would be
a real benefit to making them wilderness from a management standpoint,"
Woltering said.
But Woltering did express some concern about the difficulty in managing
the smaller proposed wildernesses at Mad River Buttes and Mount Lassic.
Designating an area
wilderness often attracts more people, Woltering said, and slim budgets
are given to the large wilderness areas, let alone small, out-of-the-way
areas like the Buttes
and Lassic.
Henson said that the designations will not affect the Six Rivers National
Forest's plans to build fuel breaks, areas that are cleared of brush and
some trees where
firefighters might stop approaching fires.
Plumas and Inyo counties both oppose Boxer's Senate bill, which would
also make 525 miles of river federally designated as wild and scenic.
Plumas County
supervisors wrote to Boxer that language that would allow motorized
equipment to access the areas for fire management is "disingenuous and
unacceptable."
"Too much of anything is never good," they wrote. "That also pertains to
wilderness ... Our public lands must be managed wisely, not fenced off to
burn another day."
Thompson bill would protect 840,000 acres as wilderness
By John Driscoll The Times-Standard
Wednesday, June 19, 2002 -
U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson introduced legislation Tuesday that would make
nearly 840,000 acres of federal land in Northern California wilderness if
it and Senate
legislation runs the gauntlet of Congress.
About half those acres are in Humboldt, Del Norte, Trinity and Siskiyou
Counties.
Thompson, D-Napa, represents the the First District which includes some
of the lands included in the bill.
Environmentalists and wilderness advocates see the bill as a blessing
that will preempt logging and mining, protecting the land from future
damage. Sentiment from
some counties on a similar bill authored by U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer of
California shows staunch opposition to further restrictions on federal
property.
The House and Senate versions of the bill aim to place some 2.4 million
acres under wilderness protection. Rep. Hilda Solis, D-El Monte, has
authored House legislation
covering about 1.5 million acres in Southern California. All tolled, that
would jump the percentage of wilderness areas from 13 to 16.5 percent of
land in California. It is
also expected to reduce logging on public lands by 10 percent.
Many of the proposed wilderness areas are in what are called roadless
areas already. Essentially that means no roads may be built in the area
unless forest
supervisors get permission from higher-ups. Cutting fire lines with
machinery and some other tasks also require similar permission. Proponents
said that no areas
legally open to vehicles now will be closed.
Many of the areas are extremely remote, and unlike public lands in
Southern California are unlikely to be encroached on by development anytime
in the foreseeable
future. But Thompson spokesman Jonathan Birdsong said the legislation is
looking far into the future.
"It would be a shame not to protect these areas," Birdsong said. "Someday
they may not be as remote anymore."
The proposed wilderness area closest to the Eureka area is Mad River
Buttes. The 5,740-acre area, which can be accessed by Titlow Hill Road,
holds the headwaters of
Redwood Creek. "Mind-blowing" wildflowers, old-growth forest and views
that stretch from the Pacific Ocean to Shasta Mountain are among the area's
special aesthetic
traits, said California Wilderness Coalition conservation associate Ryan
Henson.
"The areas that Congressman Thompson is working to protect are critical
refuges for salmon and other species, and are among the most beautiful
places in California,"
Henson said.
Nearly 100,000 acres are proposed as additions to the Trinity Alps
Wilderness in the Horse Linto Creek and Red Cap Creek drainages, part of
which burned in the 1999
Megram Fire. Another 87,000 acres are proposed to be added to the
Siskiyou Wilderness in Humboldt and Del Norte counties. The 7,300-acre
Mount Lassic area boasts
rare plants, old-growth forest and seasonal wetlands, and about 5 miles
of the Van Duzen River runs through it.
Of the 958,000 acres in Six Rivers National Forest, 123,150 are currently
designated as wilderness.
Six Rivers Supervisor Lou Woltering said that little will change from a
fire management perspective if roadless area and changed to wilderness.
"Because of the way we're managing them now, I doubt that there would be
a real benefit to making them wilderness from a management standpoint,"
Woltering said.
But Woltering did express some concern about the difficulty in managing
the smaller proposed wildernesses at Mad River Buttes and Mount Lassic.
Designating an area
wilderness often attracts more people, Woltering said, and slim budgets
are given to the large wilderness areas, let alone small, out-of-the-way
areas like the Buttes
and Lassic.
Henson said that the designations will not affect the Six Rivers National
Forest's plans to build fuel breaks, areas that are cleared of brush and
some trees where
firefighters might stop approaching fires.
Plumas and Inyo counties both oppose Boxer's Senate bill, which would
also make 525 miles of river federally designated as wild and scenic.
Plumas County
supervisors wrote to Boxer that language that would allow motorized
equipment to access the areas for fire management is "disingenuous and
unacceptable."
"Too much of anything is never good," they wrote. "That also pertains to
wilderness ... Our public lands must be managed wisely, not fenced off to
burn another day."
