by Victoria Brandon, Redwood Chapter Chair
In August Congressman Jared Huffman held a series of well-attended public meetings in the northern part of Redwood Chapter to gather input on new legislation he is considering introducing. The draft bill, which the Congressman describes as “a balanced approach to land management” would designate new federal Wilderness and Wild and Scenic River segments, and also promote stewardship and trail-building.
Specific provisions include:
- Protection of over 326,000 acres of pristine federal public lands by expanding nine existing wilderness areas and establishing ten new ones.
- Protection of over 480 miles of streams on federal land as “wild and scenic rivers.”
- Establishment of a 700,000-acre South Fork Trinity-Mad River Special Restoration Area in the heavily logged South Fork Trinity River watershed and the Forest Service-portion of the Mad River watershed in southern Trinity and western Humboldt counties.
- Establishment of a partnership of federal, state, and local entities to restore public lands affected by illegal trespass marijuana grows.
- Authorization of the construction of an interagency visitor center in Trinity County.
- A requirement for federal agencies to coordinate fire management in northwestern California’s wilderness areas.
- Exploration of the possibility of establishing a long-distance “Bigfoot National Recreation Trail" similar to the Appalachian and Pacific Crest trails
- Direction of federal agencies to conduct a trails study to improve motorized and non-motorized recreation trail opportunities.
It will NOT limit hunting or fishing, close any legally open roads or trails to vehicles, or affect access to or the use of private property.
Although no firm date for the introduction of this legislation has been set, a draft is available for public review on Congressman Huffman’s website, with links to detailed maps, and written comments are invited: just send an email to ca02publiclands@gmail.com to share your views.
The Sierra Club’s national Wildlands Team is reviewing the proposed bill, a necessary prerequisite to taking a position on the legislation itself, but in the meantime we applaud Congressman Huffman for his pro-active approach to the protection of our public lands, a very refreshing change of pace from the defensive mode that the hostility of the Trump administration has demanded in recent months.