'Ah, Wilderness; Kudos to Thompson for Efforts to Protect North Coast Forests'

Santa Rosa: Press DemocratFive years of hard work and persistence finally paid off for Rep. Mike Thompson this week. The House on Monday approved a compromise plan to designate 273,000 acres of California lands as wilderness area, much of it on the North Coast. The centerpiece of this deal is preservation of 42,585 acres of the majestic King Range National Conservation Area south of Eureka. Much of the remaining lands are in the Mendocino and Six Rivers national forests and includes 27,000 acres in the Cache Creek area in Lake County. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who, along with Sen. Barbara Boxer, has introduced a similar bill in the Senate, said it best when she called the King Range area "one of California's most striking and beautiful environmental jewels." The wilderness designation would protect the areas from commercial activity such as logging, mining and gas or oil exploration. However, activities such as hunting, fishing and cross-country skiing would still be allowed. One of the keys to this deal was the designation of about 79,000 acres for off-highway vehicles and mountain bikes. This includes 51,000 acres for off-road activities on Bureau of Land Management property in the Cow Creek area of Mendocino County. This bill was five years in the making, a process that included a lot of negotiating, listening, hand-holding and deal-making. But it was worth the wait.