THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA COASTAL WILD HERITAGE WILDERNESS ACT SIGNED INTO LAW!
On October 17, 2006 the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act was signed into law! The Act designated 273,000 acres of public wild places and 21 miles of wild and scenic rivers in northwest California. The Act designated Cache Creek, Cedar Roughs, King Range, Mount Lassic, Sanhedrin, South Fork Eel and Yuki as Wilderness, as well as created additions to the Snow Mountain, Siskiyou, Trinity Alps, and Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wildernesses. The Trust’s acquisition of inholdings within the King Range and Cache Creek areas strengthened the proposed wilderness legislation thereby aiding in the passage of the Act.
The Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act officially designated the Elkhorn Ridge area as a Potential Wilderness, thereby allowing the Bureau of Land Management to restore areas that were logged when they were under private ownership. Elkhorn Ridge will officially be added to the South Fork Eel Wilderness when the restoration is complete or five years from the date the Act was passed, whichever comes first. The Trust’s work since 1994 has made a dramatic and visible difference in the Elkhorn Ridge Potential Wilderness. As the map above illustrates, the Trust’s acquisitions (in red) served to consolidate public land and to make this a more viable wilderness area. The Trust has already protected 1,564 acres in 14 parcels in Elkhorn Ridge, and discussions continue on the remaining private parcels.
