Providing more protection for important lands in northern California.
By David Ledger
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is still soliciting comments on its updated Northwest California Integrated Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (NCIP) which involves 382,000 acres of land in northern California managed by the Redding and Arcata offices.
BLM is offering five options as to how to manage all of their lands ranging from No Plan, keeping everything as it is to the desired plan of protecting more lands for the public to enjoy while still offering recreational opportunities. Option five would advocate greater protection for wilderness areas or areas with wilderness characteristics, protecting wild rivers and streams to acquiring areas in the Sacramento River Bend area for greater recreation opportunities for the citizens of Shasta and Tehama counties. Land acquisitions would be increased from willing sellers and some isolated land plots that are unmanageable would be sold or traded for other lands. Overall, Option 5 would provide greater protection for important natural wildlife areas and provide more recreational opportunities for the public.
SEA board members Bill Kuntz and David Ledger have been meeting virtually with a diverse group of environmentalists ranging from the California Wilderness Coalition, the Pew Charitable Trust, Conservation Lands Foundation, The Wilderness Society, Defenders of Wildlife, California Native Plant Society, Friends of the Lost Coast, and several fishing groups on this issue.
The deadline to comment is December 28 and the California Wilderness Coalition has a sample letter you can write, plus a link to more information about the plan go to this link: https://secure.everyaction.com/854aLqYcxEmmkl33rgDcCg2
Congressman Doug LaMalfa opposes the BLM Plan
Congressman Doug LaMalfa has submitted a rider to a BLM funding bill that will specifically prohibit any funding for work on the required plan for Northwest California only. This means those of you who enjoy many of the trails around the Redding area, the Sacramento River Bend area, the Swazey Recreation Area, and many other lands have a harsh opponent in LaMalfa. His bill would stop all funding in its tracks to increase and protect these important environmental and recreational areas. I’ve written a letter to LaMalfa from a form on his website two weeks ago and hand-delivered a letter to his Redding office asking why he wants to deny residents of throughout his district increased recreational areas by preventing any funding to update a 30-year-old plan. You may call his Redding office at (530) 223-5898 to enquire why he is voting against these funds.