Rep. Huffman Applauds the Expansion of the California Coastal National Monument

January 12, 2017

Washington, D.C.-  In response to President Obama’s historic announcement to expand the California Coastal National Monument to protect 6,230 new acres of land, including three properties in Humboldt County — Trinidad Head, Waluplh-Lighthouse Ranch, and Lost Coast Headlands — Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) released the following statement: 

“Today’s announcement by President Obama that the California Coastal National Monument will be expanded to include Trinidad Head, Waluplh-Lighthouse Ranch, and Lost Coast Headlands is cause for celebration. With this expansion, the North Coast’s coastal economy, environment, and unique plant and animal life can be enjoyed for generations to come. As we have learned from the last expansion of the California Coastal National Monument, the Point Arena – Stornetta Public Lands on the Mendocino coast, National Monument not only protects the environment and our history, it’s good for the local economy as well.

“During this process, I was pleased to work closely with the Trinidad Rancheria and Wiyot Tribe, for whom these ancestral lands hold great value, and I am grateful that my constituents had the opportunity to weigh in during every step of this important proposal. Although I had not sought the designation of the Lost Coast Headlands, I am pleased that the President’s proclamation recognized the hundred year history of ranching and grazing in that area, and ensures that existing leases will be preserved. I will continue to work with Bureau of Land Management and stakeholders to make sure the monument expansion is implemented in a way that benefits all parties and improves the condition of these important and sensitive areas.”

Rep. Huffman was an original co-author of the California Coastal National Monument Expansion Act of 2015, introduced with Rep. Anna Eshoo and former Rep. Lois Capps, which would have designated many of the same sites as part of the California Coastal National Monument.

The very first bill Huffman introduced as a member of Congress, the California Coastal National Monument Expansion Act of 2013, created the first land-based addition to the National Monument in Mendocino County. After the House of Representatives unanimously passed Huffman’s bill in 2013, President Obama used his executive authority to add the 1,660 acres to the National Monument.

###