'House OKs State Wilderness Bill; 273,000 Acres Would be Protected Around Northern California'

San Francisco ChronicleThe House approved the largest new wilderness area for California in more than a decade, offering permanent protection for more than 273,000 acres of coastal mountains, scenic rivers and forests stretching from Napa to the Oregon border. The newly designated wilderness covers five Northern California counties and would include parts of the King Range -- which has the longest stretch of undeveloped coast in the lower 48 states -- and Cedar Roughs, the world's largest grove of rare Sargent cypress trees. The bill stirred controversy when it was introduced in 2002, after off-road vehicle enthusiasts, property rights groups and some officials from Del Norte and Humboldt counties objected to the original plan to set aside about 303,000 acres. House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo, R-Tracy, held up the legislation until the complaints could be resolved. But after Rep. Mike Thompson, the St. Helena Democrat who is the bill's chief sponsor, agreed to drop 30,000 acres from the bill and set aside some areas specifically for motorized vehicle users and mountain bikers, Pombo allowed the bill to move through his committee last week. The House passed the measure Monday on a voice vote. California's two Democratic senators had introduced their own bill, which passed the Senate unanimously, that protected all the acres first sought by Thompson. But Sen. Barbara Boxer said Monday she would move the new House version through the Senate to avoid a fight and get it passed quickly. "Clearly we wanted to go beyond what this bill does, but I'm very happy with this," Boxer said. "The most precious parts of these lands have been protected. Yes, we compromised here and there. We always have to do that because we want people to be able to enjoy these lands." The acreage is all on existing public land -- primarily in the Mendocino National Forest, the King Range and the Six Rivers National Forest -- but the wilderness designation would ban any commercial activity, including logging, mining or oil and gas drilling. Activities such as hiking, fishing, hunting, horseback riding, cross-country skiing or kayaking would still be allowed in the new wilderness areas, but the 1964 Wilderness Act bans motorized vehicles as well as mountain bikes. Thompson, who held dozens of meetings with county officials, forest supervisors, environmentalists, hunters and fishermen, off-road enthusiasts and mountain bikers over five years, said he agreed to make several important changes to ease the concerns of the various groups. First, he wrote new provisions into the bill to allow federal land managers new authority to thin forests -- including using mechanized equipment in wilderness areas -- to address concerns about the risk of wildfires, an idea opposed by some environmentalists. Thompson also agreed not to eliminate any existing roads that were used by off-road enthusiasts or mountain bikers. And he created a new national recreation area at Cow Mountain, a 51,000-acre area west of Clear Lake with 150 miles of trails that is heavily used by bikers and off-roaders. Thompson said the changes allowed all sides to feel they benefited from the bill, while keeping the vast majority of the original acreage as wilderness. "Some of these areas are just startlingly beautiful," Thompson said. "To be able to add these extra protections will ensure that your grandkids and my grandkids will get the opportunity to experience these areas." Pombo, whose committee has jurisdiction over all major public lands issues, made clear when he became chairman in 2003 that he would be slow to approve any new wilderness. He laid down several conditions: The bills must not trample on private property rights or severely restrict access for motorized vehicles, and local officials must be almost unanimously in support. Pombo allowed a hearing on the bill last July, where Del Norte officials complained that too much land would be locked up in a county that is 75 percent owned by the federal government. So Thompson redrew the maps and slashed the proposed acreage in Del Norte by nearly 12,000 acres. He also cut 15,100 acres from Humboldt County. A spokesman for Pombo said the chairman was pleased that local officials shaped the bill and that Thompson was willing to create a new recreation area protecting access for off-road enthusiasts and mountain bikers. "That is a great precedent," said Brian Kennedy, a spokesman for Pombo. Environmentalists have generally backed the new bill, which sets aside huge chunks of popular hiking areas -- including major additions to the Trinity Alps, Siskiyou, Cache Creek and other wilderness areas. The bill also designates 19 miles of the Black Butte River as a wild and scenic river, which increases federal protections. Napa County Supervisor Diane Dillon, who worked on the bill, said it was a fair compromise between groups with sharply contrasting views of how best to use public lands. "Congressman Thompson listened to his constituents, and he also listened to concerned parties who were not his constituents," Dillon said. "He crafted legislation that worked for everyone. There's a little something in there for every county he represents." E-mail Zachary Coile at zcoile@sfchronicle.com.