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H.R.233 To designate certain National Forest System lands in the Mendocino and Six Rivers National Forests and certain Bureau of Land Management lands in Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, and Napa Counties in the State of California as wilderness, to designate the Elkhorn Ridge Potential Wilderness Area, to designate certain segments of the Black Butte River in Mendocino County, California as a wild or scenic river, and for other purposes.

Designated as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System and addition to Snow Mountain Wilderness are:

23,312 acres in the Mendocino National Forest,

10,571 acres of the Mendocino National Forest called the Sanhedrin Wilderness;

Yuki Wilderness also in the Mendocino National Forest totaling 54,087 acres;

Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness in the Mendocino National Forest totaling $25,806 acres;

Mad River Buttes Wilderness in the Six Rivers National Forest totaling 6,494 acres;

Siskiyou Wilderness Addition of 48,754 acres (Bear Basin Butte Unit, Blue Creek Unit, Blue Ridge Unit, Broken Rib Unit and the Wooly Bear Unit.)

Mount Lassic Wilderness of the Six Rivers Forest equaling 7, 279 acres;

Trinity Alps Wilderness addition of 28, 805 acres (Orleans Mountain Unit, Easy Fork Unit, Horse Linto Unit, Red Cap Unit)

Underwood Wilderness-2,977 acres;

Cache Creek Wilderness-30,870 acres; Cedar Roughs Wilderness-6,350 acres;

South Fork Eel River Wilderness-12,915 acres; King Range Wilderness-42,585;

Rocks and Islands Conservation area.

The areas would remain open to military overflight, livestock grazing, meteorological and climatological research. Some areas could be closed to the public from time-to-time to buffer Indian tribes conducting ceremonial activities

The bill also designates segments of the Black Butte River as part of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Included are 16 miles from the Mendocino County Line to the confluence of Jumpoff Creek as a wild river and 3.5 miles from the Jumpoff confluence to the confluence of the Middle Eel River as a scenic river.

Sponsor: Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA-1^st)

Vote: Passed House by voice vote July 25, 2006.

Cost to the taxpayers: No cost report accompanied the bill. Such additions to existing national entities usually don’t incur much additional costs.

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