The Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act is a

U.S. federal law The law of the United States comprises many levels of codified and uncodified forms of law, of which the most important is the nation's Constitution, which prescribes the foundation of the federal government of the United States, as well as va ...

enacted in 2006 that enlarged existing wilderness boundaries and created new wilderness areas for protection under the

National Wilderness Preservation System The National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS) of the United States protects federally managed wilderness areas designated for preservation in their natural condition. Activity on formally designated wilderness areas is coordinated by the Na ...

. These newly designated protected wilderness areas help safeguard habitat for more than 250 endangered species including the

California condor The California condor (''Gymnogyps californianus'') is a New World vulture and the largest North American land bird. It became extinct in the wild in 1987 when all remaining wild individuals were captured, but has since been reintroduced to nor ...

and the

bristlecone pine The term bristlecone pine covers three species of pine tree (family Pinaceae, genus ''Pinus A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. T ...

, the oldest living trees on earth. It also added

Wild and Scenic The National Wild and Scenic Rivers System was created by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 (Public Law 90-542), enacted by the U.S. Congress to preserve certain rivers with outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values in a free- ...

status to sections of the

Black Butte River The Black Butte River is located in the Mendocino National Forest of northern California in Glenn and Mendocino counties. It is a tributary to the Middle Fork Eel River and flows northward for from its headwaters near Round Mountain to the c ...

, created the Cow Mountain Recreation Area and designated the Elkhorn Ridge Potential Wilderness Area. The Act was sponsored by

Representative Representative may refer to: Politics * Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people * House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities * Legislator, som ...

Mike Thompson and

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

Barbara Boxer Barbara Sue Boxer (née Levy; born November 11, 1940) is an American politician and lobbyist who served in the United States Senate, representing California from 1993 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as the U.S. ...

and

Dianne Feinstein Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein ( ; born Dianne Emiel Goldman; June 22, 1933) is an American politician who serves as the senior United States senator from California, a seat she has held since 1992. A member of the Democratic Party, she was ...

, and was signed into law on October 17, 2006.

Timeline

May 21, 2002- Senator Barbara Boxer introduces California Wild Heritage Act of 2002 (S. 2535) in the

107th United States Congress The 107th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3 ...

. ''" In short, this bill preserves, prevents, and it protects."'' - Senator Boxer *Referred to

Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources The United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources is a standing committee of the United States Senate. It has jurisdiction over matters related to energy and mineral resources, including nuclear development; irrigation and recla ...

. This bill was not enacted. March 27, 2003- Bills are introduced in

108th Congress The 108th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives from January 3, 2003 to January 3, 2005, during ...

. *House of Representatives: **H.R. 1501, Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act of 2003 introduced by Representative Mike Thompson. *Senate: **S. 738, introduced by Senator Barbara Boxer. October 16, 2003- Companion bills introduced in U.S. House of Representatives: *H.R. 3325, Southern California Wild Heritage Wilderness and Wild Rivers Act of 2003, introduced by Representative

Hilda Solis Hilda Lucia Solis (; born October 20, 1957) is an American politician and a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for the 1st district. Solis previously served as the 25th United States Secretary of Labor from 2009 to 2013, as par ...

. *HR 3327, Representative Mike Thompson's bill titled Northern California Wilderness and Wild Rivers is introduced. March 4, 2004- Senator Dianne Feinstein joins Senator Boxer and Representative Mike Thompson in supporting the bill. December 8, 2004- U.S. Senate passes Senate bill 738, which was bundled together with several other bills collectively titled H.R. 620. It was then sent to the House for consideration, but the House adjourned before action was taken. January 4, 2004- *House bill H.R. 233 introduced in the

109th Congress The 109th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, from January 3, 2005 to January 3, 2007, dur ...

. **Committee and Subcommittee hearings held Feb. 3, 2005 to July 19, 2006.
Govtrack website's full summary of H.R. 233 January 14, 2005- *Senate bill S. 128 is introduced. **Passed Senate by unanimous consent and was sent to the House July 26, 2005. July 24, 2006- Debate on bill for 40 minutes. October 5, 2006- Bill was presented to President of the United States. October 17, 2006- Bill is signed and becomes Public Law No. 109-362

Details

Notes

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References

The complete text of this law in PDF format. retrieved April 4, 2008 The Wilderness.net pages on each new / expanded wilderness areas, with detail of acreage by agency:

Siskiyou Wilderness

Snow Mountain Wilderness

Trinity Alps Wilderness

Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness

Sanhedrin Wilderness

Yuki Wilderness

Mount Lassic Wilderness

Cache Creek Wilderness

Cedar Roughs Wilderness

South Fork Eel River Wilderness

King Range Wilderness

Timeline

Details

Notes

References

See also