Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act

The Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act is a U.S. federal law

Act of Congress

An Act of Congress is a statute enacted by government with a legislature named "Congress," such as the United States Congress or the Congress of the Philippines....

enacted in 2006 that enlarged existing wilderness boundaries and created new wilderness areas for protection under the National Wilderness Preservation System

National Wilderness Preservation System

The National Wilderness Preservation System of the United States protects federally managed land areas designated for preservation in their natural condition. It was established by the Wilderness Act upon the signature of President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 3, 1964...

. These newly-designated protected wilderness areas help safeguard habitat for more than 250 endangered species including the California Condor

California Condor

The California Condor is a New World vulture, the largest North American land bird. Currently, this condor inhabits only the Grand Canyon area, Zion National Park, and coastal mountains of central and southern California and northern Baja California...

, bald eagle

Bald Eagle

The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...

, and the bristlecone pine

Bristlecone pine

The bristlecone pines are a small group of pine trees that are thought to reach an age far greater than that of any other single living organism known, up to nearly 5,000 years....

, the oldest living trees on earth.

It also added Wild and Scenic

National Wild and Scenic River

National Wild and Scenic River is a designation for certain protected areas in the United States.The National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was an outgrowth of the recommendations of a Presidential commission, the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission...

status to sections of the Black Butte River

Black Butte River

The Black Butte River is located in the Mendocino National Forest of northern California in Lake, Glenn and Mendocino counties. It is a tributary to the Middle Fork Eel River and flows northward for from its headwaters near Round Mountain to the confluence with the Middle Fork Eel River.The...

, created the Cow Mountain Recreation Area and designated the Elkhorn Ridge Potential Wilderness Area.

The Act was sponsored by Representative Mike Thompson

Mike Thompson

Michael C. Thompson , is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1999. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes Napa, Lake, Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte Counties as well as parts of Yolo and Sonoma Counties....

and Senators Barbara Boxer

Barbara Boxer

Barbara Levy Boxer is the junior United States Senator from California . A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives ....

and Dianne Feinstein

Dianne Feinstein

Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein is the senior U.S. Senator from California. A member of the Democratic Party, she has served in the Senate since 1992. She also served as 38th Mayor of San Francisco from 1978 to 1988....

, and was signed into law on October 17, 2006.

Timeline

May 21, 2002-

Senator Barbara Boxer introduces California Wild Heritage Act of 2002 (S. 2535) in the 107th United States Congress

107th United States Congress

The One Hundred Seventh United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 2001 to January 3, 2003, during the final...

.

" In short, this bill preserves, prevents, and it protects." - Senator Boxer

Referred to Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. This bill was not enacted.

March 27, 2003-

Bills are introduced in 108th Congress

108th United States Congress

The One Hundred Eighth United States Congress was the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives from January 3, 2003 to January 3, 2005, during the third and fourth years of George W. Bush's...

House of Representatives:
- H.R. 1501, Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act of 2003 introduced by Representative Mike Thompson.
Senate:
- S. 738, introduced by Senator Barbara Boxer.

October 16, 2003-

Companion bills introduced in U.S. House of Representatives:

H.R. 3325, Southern California Wild Heritage Wilderness and Wild Rivers Act of 2003, introduced by Representative Hilda Solis
Hilda Solis
Hilda Lucia Solis is the 25th United States Secretary of Labor, serving in the Obama administration. She is a member of the Democratic Party and served in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2009, representing the 31st and 32nd congressional districts of California that include...

.
HR 3327, Representative Mike Thompson's bill titled Northern California Wilderness and Wild Rivers is introduced.

March 4, 2004-

Senator Dianne Feinstein joins Senator Boxer and Representative Mike Thompson in supporting the bill.

December 8, 2004-

U.S. Senate passes Senate bill 738, which was bundled together with several other bills collectively titled H.R. 620. It was then sent to the House for consideration, but the House adjourned before action was taken.

January 4, 2004-

House bill H.R. 233 introduced in the 109th Congress
109th United States Congress
The One Hundred Ninth United States Congress was the legislative branch of the United States, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, from January 3, 2005 to January 3, 2007, during the fifth and sixth years of George W. Bush's presidency. House members...

.
- Committee and Subcommittee hearings held Feb. 3, 2005 to July 19, 2006.

January 14, 2005-

Senate bill S. 128 is introduced.
- Passed Senate by unanimous consent and was sent to the House July 26, 2005.

July 24, 2006-

Debate on bill for 40 minutes.

October 5, 2006-

Bill was presented to President of the United States.

October 17, 2006-

Bill is signed and becomes Public Law No. 109-362

Details

New Wilderness
Name	Area	Agency	County
Sanhedrin	10571 acres (42.8 km²)	Mendocino National Forest Mendocino National Forest The Mendocino National Forest is located in the Coastal Mountain Range in northwestern California and comprises 913,306 acres...	Mendocino Mendocino County, California Mendocino County is a county located on the north coast of the U.S. state of California, north of the greater San Francisco Bay Area and west of the Central Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 87,841, up from 86,265 at the 2000 census... , Lake Lake County, California Lake County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of California, north of the San Francisco Bay Area. It takes its name from Clear Lake, the dominant geographic feature in the county and the largest natural lake wholly within California...
Yuki	53887 acres (218.1 km²)	Mendocino National Forest	Mendocino, Lake
Mount Lassic	7279 acres (29.5 km²)	Six Rivers National Forest Six Rivers National Forest Six Rivers National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in the northwestern corner of California. It was established on July 1, 1947 by U.S. President Harry S. Truman from portions of Klamath, Siskiyou and Trinity National Forests. Its over one million acres of land contain a variety of...	Humboldt Humboldt County, California Humboldt County is a county in the U.S. state of California, located on the far North Coast 200 miles north of San Francisco. According to 2010 Census Data, the county’s population was 134,623... , Trinity Trinity County, California Trinity County is a large, rugged and mountainous, heavily forested county located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of California, along the Trinity River and within the Salmon/Klamath Mountains. It covers an area of over two million acres , and as of the 2010 census its population...
Cache Creek Cache Creek Wilderness The Cache Creek Wilderness is a 27,245 acre wilderness area located in Lake County, California. The wilderness was added to the National Wilderness Preservation System when the United States Congress passed the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act in 2006...	27245 acres (110.3 km²)	Bureau of Land Management Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...	Lake
Cedar Roughs	6350 acres (25.7 km²)	Bureau of Land Management	Napa Napa County, California Napa County is a county located north of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is coterminous with the Napa, California, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010 the population is 136,484. The county seat is Napa....
South Fork Eel River South Fork Eel River Wilderness The South Fork Eel River Wilderness is a 12,868 acre wilderness area located in Mendocino County, California. The wilderness was added to the National Wilderness Preservation System when the United States Congress passed the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act in 2006...	12915 acres (52.3 km²)	Bureau of Land Management	Mendocino
King Range King Range Wilderness The King Range Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness area within the King Range National Conservation Area in northern California, United States. The area was set aside with the passage of the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act of 2006...	43585 acres (176.4 km²)	Bureau of Land Management	Mendocino, Humboldt

Wilderness Additions
Name	Area	Agency	Total
Trinity Alps Wilderness Trinity Alps Wilderness The Trinity Alps Wilderness is a designated wilderness located in northern California, roughly between Eureka and Redding. It is jointly administered by Shasta-Trinity, Klamath, and Six Rivers National Forests. About are administered by the Bureau of Land Management. The wilderness is located in...	22863 acres (92.5 km²)	Six Rivers National Forest	525627 acres (2,127.1 km²)
Snow Mountain Wilderness Snow Mountain Wilderness The Snow Mountain Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness area located north of Santa Rosa, California, USA in the Mendocino National Forest. The U.S. Congress passed the California Wilderness Act of 1984 which created 23 new wilderness areas including Snow Mountain. It lies within the...	23706 acres (95.9 km²)	Mendocino National Forest	50076 acres (202.7 km²)
Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness The Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness area located west of Red Bluff in the state of California. Created by the Wilderness Act of 1964, the land area was originally ....	27036 acres (109.4 km²)	Mendocino National Forest, Bureau of Land Management	180877 acres (732 km²)
Siskiyou Wilderness Siskiyou Wilderness The Siskiyou Wilderness is a federal wilderness area designated by the passage of the California Wilderness Act of 1984. Originally, the land area was The Northern California Wild Heritage Act of 2006 added for the current total of . All of the wilderness is in Northern California and is managed...	30122 acres (121.9 km²)	Six Rivers National Forest	182802 acres (739.8 km²)

Timeline

Details

See also