California: On Its Way to Being Wilder
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June 11, 2008
Washington, D.C. – The stage is set for more than 300,000 acres of new wilderness in California, after the U.S. House passed two wilderness bills Monday. One protects areas of Riverside County; the other, parts of Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park. They're small compared to a third piece of pending legislation that would protect another half-million acres in Inyo, Mono and Los Angeles counties.
Congress has been debating the bills for several years, but now they're getting new attention, according to Jim Mathews of the Campaign for America's Wilderness.
"One of the things we have done, and other groups have done too, has been a better job of educating people as to what wilderness designation means. And it doesn't mean locking up the lands so no one can use them. It really means protecting the lands, so everyone can use them."
Mathews adds that lawmakers are also doing a better job of bringing all sides together early, to hammer out compromises before they finalize their wilderness legislation. The two bills that passed on Monday now head to the Senate where they could have a tougher time. Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma has a record of consistently blocking wilderness bills. He contends the U.S. Forest Service and the rest of the federal government cannot afford to maintain more wilderness.
However, Mathews points out that federal lawmakers are looking not only at conservation, but at the potential economic benefits of wilderness.
"Some smaller towns and less-populated counties that might not have a big tax base really rely on tourism and recreational activities. And wilderness, in particular, really draws folks out."
The California Desert and Mountain Heritage Act (HR 3682) and the Sequoia-Kings Canyon Wilderness Act (HR 3022) passed the House. The Eastern Sierra & Northern San Gabriel Wild Heritage Act (HR 6156) is still under consideration.