After more than a year of work, U.S. Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) on May 15 announced legislation that would allocate 245,665 acres of new and expanded wilderness areas in Los Padres National Forest and the Carrizo Plain National Monument.
The Central Coast Heritage Protection Act would protect wild and scenic rivers and designate a new national recreational trail, according to a press release from Capps’ office. Capps introduced the bill to the House of Representatives on May 20.
“We have a responsibility to protect the incredible landscapes, local water supplies, and unique habitats the Central Coast provides, while at the same time preserving the recreation opportunities that contribute so much to the local economy and quality of life,” Capps said in a press release. “Crafting this legislation has truly been a community effort, promoting both responsible use and long-term protection for our treasured public lands.”
U.S. representatives Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village) and Sam Farr (D-Salinas) have both signed on as co-sponsors of the bill.
The bill would create four new wilderness areas and expand nine existing wilderness areas. Laurel Williams, a spokesperson for the California Wilderness Coalition, said a wilderness designation is the strongest protection the government can apply to land because it prohibits development, while still allowing some forms of recreation.
Jeff Kuyper from Los Padres Forest Watch said his organization and several others were involved in helping form the legislation. Forest Watch was also part of a coalition of local land and water conservation organizations that asked the U.S. Forest Service to recommend many of these same lands for wilderness protection.
While the Forest Service did recommend new acres of wilderness in an updated draft forest management plan for four Southern California national forests, those areas didn’t include Los Padres National Forest.
“Certainly, if the forest plan had included wilderness designations, there wouldn’t be any need for this legislation,” Kuyper told the Sun.
Chris Meagher, Capps’ press secretary, wrote in an email to the Sun that while the updated forest management plan did provide protection to some of the areas Capps included in the Central Coast Heritage Protection Act, the congresswoman is seeking more permanent protection through legislation. He added that the forest management plan’s level of protection for those areas does allow for development such as oil and gas drilling under certain circumstances.
“The proposed forest management plan would not be permanent, and the congresswoman believes that in some cases, it doesn’t sufficiently protect these lands,” Meagher wrote. “That is why her bill is needed.”
This article appears in May 22-29, 2014.