It was with passion and determination that Ellen and David Drell, of Willits, California brought together a community of volunteers to form the Citizens' Committee to Save Our Public Lands in 1974. More than thirty years later, the two activists continue to use the same sturdy tools, celebrating progress and tackling new concerns. Since the early days of the Committee, David and Ellen have poured their hearts into the protection of unique places in the Mendocino National Forest.
The first ten years with the Committee to Save Our Public Lands were defined by the struggle to secure lasting protections for wilderness study areas around the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness. In 1984, their campaign paid off with the protection of 42,000 acres added to the Yolla Bolly and the creation of the 8,000-acre North Fork Wilderness, among other areas. Their first attempt at a grassroots campaign was somewhat bittersweet in that not all the areas they were hoping to protect made it into the final bill passed by Congress. Yet, the solid designation marked their first tangible victory and set the stage for the work that loomed on the horizon.
Six years later, the group reunited as the Willits Environmental Center in order to defend their community against a polluting wood-fired biomass plant. David's and Ellen's passionate defense of their public lands and their community was contagious. By forming the all volunteer Environmental Center and organizing citizens to stop the power plant, the Drells quickly built a strong network of support. Since then, the Drells have been outspoken activists on a number of issues from defending a biologically and historically important ranch in Willits from asphalt and concrete plants to coordinating environmental impact research in regards to a proposed highway. However, protecting the National Forest and Bureau of Land Management lands in Mendocino County has always been the foundation of their efforts.
The Drells' determination to protect wild land was evident again in the late 1990s when they learned that Representative Mike Thompson (D) was working on a bill for the special places along the North Coast. David and Ellen recognized that the opportunity had come to use their accumulated skills and network of support. Hard lessons were learned in 1984, and the time had come to build upon the experience. "Where we failed to get local political and business support in Mendocino County is where we would be least successful in saving places," David recalls. This marked the beginning of a classic grassroots campaign.
The Willits Environmental Center, fueled by the unrelenting determination of the Drells pushed a campaign of public awareness and education that led to face-to-face meetings with every person of sway in Mendocino County, including every political leader. They conveyed the importance of wilderness, what it meant legally and environmentally, to business owners throughout the county, including timber mill owners and leaders of Indian Tribes. Together they built a coalition unrivaled by any in Mendocino County's past. Ryan Henson of the California Wilderness Coalition has said, "I wish every wild place had friends like Ellen and David Drell. They are smart, dedicated, know the land and are willing to reach out to people from all walks of life. Those of us who care about Mendocino County's wild places are forever indebted to them." The political and economic support for wilderness generated by the work of the Drells and other volunteers created near-unanimous backing for the proposal. Such results are born only from time and effort.
On October, 17 2006, the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act was signed into law by the President. With one swoop of the pen, 264,559 acres of wilderness were designated under congressional law. Mendocino National Forest saw the creation of the Snow Mountain Wilderness, a 27,000-acre addition to Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel and the 12,915-acre South Fork Eel Wilderness. Perhaps no one could be more satisfied with the passing of the bill than David and Ellen Drell. What began with the first additions in 1984 had culminated, after nearly twenty years of enduring determination, in the creation of a truly inspiring work of foresight. Everyone who has ever felt a connection to the land they love owes David, Ellen and their fellow volunteers, a lengthy round of applause.
