California Wilderness Campaigns

California has 15,229,528 acres of BLM lands and 20,754,825 acres of National Forests. The last wilderness areas designated in California were in the Omnibus Law signed by President Obama in March 2009: Agua Tibia Additions, Ansel Adams Additions, Beauty Mountain, Cahuilla Mountain, Chuckwalla Mountains Additions, Granite Mountain, Hoover Additions, John Krebs, John Muir Additions, Joshua Tree Natl. Park Additions, Magic Mountain, Orocopia Mountains Additions, Owens River Headwaters, Palen/McCoy Additions, Pinto Mountains, Pleasant View Ridge, Santa Rosa Additions, Sequoia-Kings Canyon Additions, South Fork San Jacinto, and White Mountains

Media Campaigns

Members of Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clarita

[1]

Tom Cage, Owner, Kittredge Sports in Mammoth Lakes

[2]

Sue Nickum, Elementary School Teacher, Lancaster

[3]

This media campaign ran in several California papers to hilight how diverse supporters of wilderness are, illustrating that wilderness is our common ground. Click each photo to view the respective print ad (PDF), or visit the campaign page [4].

Campaigns

Wild Heritage

Summary:: Legislation introduced to permanently protect 2.4 million acres of scenic wilderness throughout the state and designate more than 20 rivers as wild and scenic, ensuring clean water, free flowing rivers, and quality fish and wildlife habitat. It would protect some of the state’s most extraordinary wild lands, including Eagle Peak – an area critical to San Diego’s water supply, and Duncan Canyon – home to one of the best old-growth groves in the Tahoe National Forest. The measure would also protect the Clavey River, one of only four remaining free-flowing rivers in the Sierra Nevada.
More info:: California Wilderness Coalition [5]; The Wilderness Society [6]

San Gabriel Mountains/LA Basin

Summary:: Efforts underway to protect extensive portions of the Angeles and western section of the San Bernardino National Forests, including the scenic San Gabriel Mountains through wilderness and wild and scenic river designations. The national forest land of the San Gabriels is the nation’s largest “urban” forest, making up 80 percent of Los Angeles County’s open space and within an hour’s drive of some 10 million people. Home to bighorn sheep, bobcats, mountain lions, and sensitive species like the California spotted owl, desert tortoise, and ferruginous hawk, the region includes steep, rocky ridges, numerous canyons, and scenic waterfalls.
More info:: Sierra Club [7]; Friends of the River [8]

Local Conservation Groups

California Wild Heritage Campaign [9]
California Wilderness Coalition [10]
Californians for Western Wilderness [11]
Friends of the Inyo [12]
Friends of the River [13]
Northern California Council of Fly Fishers [14]
Ventana Wilderness Alliance [15]

Links:
[1] http://www.leaveitwild.org/docs/CG_ES_boys%2526amp%3Bgirls.pdf
[2] http://www.leaveitwild.org/docs/CG_ES_cage.pdf
[3] http://www.leaveitwild.org/docs/CG_ES_nickum.pdf
[4] http://www.commongroundes.org/
[5] http://www.calwild.org/campaigns/cwhc.php
[6] http://www.wilderness.org/
[7] http://www.sierraclub.org/ca/socalforests/index.asp
[8] http://www.friendsoftheriver.org/
[9] http://www.californiawild.org/
[10] http://www.calwild.org/
[11] http://www.caluwild.org/
[12] http://www.friendsoftheinyo.org/
[13] http://www.friendsoftheriver.org/
[14] http://www.nccfff.org/
[15] http://www.ventanawild.org/