The legislation will protect 288,672 acres of wilderness, create two scenic areas encompassing 34,882 acres, and safeguard 159 miles of wild and scenic rivers in the Los Padres National Forest and the Carrizo Plain National Monument. Once becoming law, these protections will help sustain the area’s quality of life by ensuring clean water for communities, protecting valuable wildlife habitat, and stimulating a vibrant local economy.
The Central Coast Heritage Protection Act is the product of years of discussion and negotiation, involving business leaders, conservationists, elected officials, ranchers, mountain bikers, and other stakeholders interested in the use and well-being of these iconic lands.
West Paso Robles rancher and business owner Greg McMillan said, “My family has lived in this area for six generations and it is my heart. I own and operate a small scale grass fed beef operation on family land and have planted an olive orchard. We are blessed to live in an area that contains some of the most rural and wild lands in the West, but the pressures on this land are great. The Central Coast Heritage Protection Act will ensure that our wildest lands and rivers remain intact.”
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Click to view full map (PDF) of Proposed Wilderness Areas and Wild & Scenic Rivers of California's Central Coast.
Central Coast Wild Heritage is a coalition of businesses, organizations, and concerned citizens in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties working to protect the Central Coast of California for future generations. For the last five years, we have been working on identifying wild lands and rivers suitable for permanent protections and working with stakeholders and forest users to protect more of our invaluable wild back-country.
The steering committee is comprised of the following organizations: California Wilderness Coalition, Friends of the River, The Wilderness Society, Los Padres Forest Watch, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and Keep Sespe Wild Committee.
We also have the support of hundreds of businesses, landowners, community leaders and more!
We welcome your questions, comments or support. Please contact us here.
