My Word: Mr. Foster goes to Washington

November 03, 2019

I recently went to Washington, D.C., to meet members of Congress and their staff about House Resolution 2250, the Northwest California Wilderness, Recreation, and Working Forests Act. This bill, introduced by North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman, is a wide-ranging piece of legislation that accomplishes many good things for Northwest California.

Normally, you’d not find me talking about a public lands bill. This is not because I don’t believe in preserving and restoring our public lands. It’s just that there are plenty of people who are more experienced and effective spokespeople in the field of conservation. But this legislation does more than just protect the environment. This bill will also help our local economy by enhancing the productivity of our public lands and diversifying our economy. That’s why I was happy to attend over 20 meetings in three days to discuss its economic development potential.

HR 2250 lays out a blueprint for enhanced management, recreational development, restoration, and protection of public lands in Humboldt, Del Norte, Trinity, and Mendocino counties. The bill does not convert private property to public lands; it only applies to public lands. This is important as we strive to maintain our tax base. There will be no loss in private property or property tax revenues, critical to maintaining basic public services in our communities. In fact, there could be a benefit, as the bill encourages increased economic activity in our small communities.

The bill aims to increase recreation and tourism. It does this by encouraging the building of new trails, restoring public lands affected by illegal trespass cannabis grows, protecting and enhancing critical fish habitat, and authorizing the construction of visitors’ centers in Trinity and Del Norte County. Tourism is a critical part of our northern California economy.

Nationally, outdoor recreation generates $92 billion in consumer spending. In the 2nd Congressional District, which encompasses most of Humboldt, Trinity, Del Norte, and Mendocino counties, nearly $2 billion is spent on outdoor recreation each year. Many businesses and communities in this northwest corner of California, enjoy the economic benefits of the tourism economy and have room to grow as more and more people discover the incredible place we call home.

The bill also seeks to reduce the threat of wildfire by requiring federal agencies to cooperate and coordinate fire management, creating a network of shaded fuel breaks and the selected thinning of neglected plantations. Over the long term, businesses and communities benefit as the threat of fire is diminished. In the short-term, jobs are created to complete this fire plan.

Natural disasters of any sort can create long-term negative effects on a region’s economy, as we’ve seen in the unprecedented firestorms that have devastated large areas of the north in the past few years. In addition, while the timber industry is not as dominant as it once was, it’s still very important to the economic health of our region. The net effect of this bill on the timber industry is positive. This is because this bill, for the first time, prioritizes fuel reduction projects and fire management for forest health, and restoration on over 223,00 acres.

Let’s talk about our rivers. I like to fish. It’s a family tradition going back generations. My great-grandfather, grandfather, and father were early pioneers of fly fishing on North Coast rivers, from the Russian to the Klamath. And while I like seeing the beautiful Chinook and Coho Salmon or Steelhead migrating up our rivers, I also like seeing them on the barbecue. Recreational and commercial fishing has both strong cultural and economic significance to our communities and tribes. This bill seeks to preserve and restore critical habitats within the important Trinity and Eel River watersheds to increase spawning territory and fish populations.

Finally, this bill creates over nearly 260,000 acres of expanded or new wilderness designations on existing public lands. These special areas will be preserved forever, protecting the environment and our ability to interact with the natural environment. No legal roads will be closed Hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, horseback riding, skiing, snowshoeing, rock climbing and other activities will still be allowed.

It’s rare these days to see bills like the Northwest California Wilderness, Recreation, and Working Forests Act that take a comprehensive approach to environmental conservation, restoration and economic development. I want to thank Congressman Huffman for his vision in crafting this important piece of legislation and look forward to supporting the bill as it makes its way through Congress.


By:  Gregg Foster
Source: Times Standard