House Approves California North Coast Wilderness Bill

For Immediate Release
08-07-06
Contact: Tom Ward, IMBA CA Policy Advisor

303-545-9011

After five years of negotiations, letter writing campaigns, meetings, phone calls, and even testifying in front of Congress, IMBA is happy to report H.R. 233, the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act, passed the House on July 24, 2006. IMBA thanks the mountain bikers from California and around the country that wrote letters and made phone calls in support of a bill that will both protect the land and preserve bicycle access. The Senate is expected to pass the bill in early fall before going to the president for a final signature.

Many changes were made to the original proposal to garner full mountain bike support. Specifically, numerous acres were removed from the original Wilderness boundaries in Del Norte County, and the areas of Mad River Buttes, Underwood, Trinity River and Orleans Mountain. The Perkins Creek Trail in the Cache Creek Area was preserved for mountain bike use and other areas for potential new trails. The Cow Mountain area near Mendocino was designated for "recreational management," thus allowing for continued use by mountain bikers as well as opportunity for future trail development.

"We believe you can protect the land and allow for continued bicycle access and support this bill. We hope to work with the congressmen in the future on protecting even more land in California through a different congressional designation than Wilderness," says IMBA Policy Advisor Tom Ward.

Read a recent article about the bill.

IMBA encourages California mountain bikers to thank Congressmen Mike Thompson and Committee Chairman Congressmen Richard Pombo for all their work to craft legislation that protects the land and respects mountain bikersą desire for continued access to singletrack trails. IMBA has made it easy for you through this easy on-line form . Please feel free to customize your thank-you message.