Wilderness and Public Lands  

California's 43 million acres of public land encompass some of the most magnificent and pristine natural areas in the United States. From Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the lower 48 states, to Death Valley National Park, the lowest, our state stands out for the diversity of its natural beauty. California also has some of the nation’s most important historic sites, including some of the first European and Asian settlements in the nation. 

Senator Boxer has worked tirelessly to ensure that our state's historic and natural treasures are protected and preserved for generations to come. She has partnered with California lawmakers from both parties on legislation that balances the competing needs of development and preservation – promoting sustainable development in areas where it is appropriate and restricting development in pristine, ecologically important areas. Senator Boxer has worked to provide wilderness designation to California's most unspoiled and sensitive public lands, providing the highest level of protection and conservation afforded under federal law.

Wilderness

• The California Wild Heritage Act – Senator Boxer’s California Wild Heritage Act, first introduced in 2002 and most recently in 2007, would designate 2.5 million acres of land in 81 areas throughout California as wilderness. It would also designate stretches of 22 rivers as wild, scenic, or recreational, including establishing the Sacramento River National Conservation Area. These areas would remain open for recreational activities but would be protected from new logging, mining, or drilling. Many of the bill’s provisions have been signed into law.
  
  Most recently, on March 30, 2009, President Obama signed into law H.R. 146, a package of public lands bills that included three bills sponsored by Senator Boxer: the California Desert and Mountain Heritage Act, the Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park Wilderness Act, and the Eastern Sierra and Northern San Gabriel Wild Heritage Act. Combined, these bills designated approximately 700,000 additional acres of wilderness, the fourth-largest wilderness designation in California’s history.
  
  
• The California Desert and Mountain Heritage Act – Senator Boxer introduced this legislation with Representative Mary Bono Mack (R-CA-45), and it was enacted as part of the Omnibus Public Lands Act of 2009. It established approximately 200,000 acres of wilderness or wilderness study areas and 31 miles of wild and scenic rivers in Riverside County. The bill designates or expands ten wilderness areas, adds four parcels of land to the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, and designates segments of four rivers as wild and scenic. These areas provide habitat for numerous endangered species including Peninsular bighorn sheep and desert tortoises. 
  
  
• The Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park Wilderness Act – Senator Boxer introduced this legislation in collaboration with Representatives Jim Costa (D-CA-20) and Devin Nunes (R-CA-21), and it was enacted as part of the Omnibus Public Lands Act of 2009. The bill designated approximately 85,000 acres of land within the Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park, in Tulare County, as wilderness. It expanded the Sequoia-Kings Canyon Wilderness, which includes unique landscapes such as the largest Giant Sequoia grove in the park and one of the most extensive networks of caverns in the western United States. The centerpiece of the bill was the 39,740-acre John Krebs Wilderness Area, named in honor of the former Congressman who wrote the 1978 law transferring the Mineral King Valley to the National Park Service to protect it from development. 
  
  
• The Eastern Sierra and Northern San Gabriel Wild Heritage Act – Senator Boxer worked with Representative Buck McKeon (R-CA-25) to enact this legislation as part of the Omnibus Public Lands Act of 2009. The bill provided wilderness designation to more than 470,000 acres of public lands in Mono, Inyo, San Bernardino, and Los Angeles Counties. The areas protected under this bill include the spectacular High Sierra lands and White Mountains. The bill also designated approximately 74 miles of wild and scenic rivers, including the ecologically-important Upper Owens River and the Amargosa River, which is the only major river flowing into Death Valley National Park. 
  
  
• The Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Act – Senator Boxer worked with Representative Mike Thompson (D-CA-1) to enact the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Act in 2006. This legislation established approximately 275,000 acres of wilderness in the Mendocino and Six Rivers National Forests in Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, and Napa Counties. 
  
  
• The Big Sur Wilderness and Conservation Act – The Big Sur Wilderness and Conservation Act, introduced with Representative Sam Farr (D-CA-17), was signed into law in 2002. It established approximately 54,000 acres of wilderness in Monterey County.  

Parks, Recreational Areas, and Other Public Lands  

• The San Gabriel Watershed Study Act – With Congresswoman Hilda Solis (former D-CA-32), Senator Boxer authored the San Gabriel River Watershed Study Act of 2003, which became law. The measure authorized a study by the Bureau of Reclamation on natural resources of the San Gabriel Mountains and Watershed. The National Park Service has assessed these resources and in August 2009, announced three proposed alternatives for promoting greater recreation and conservation of natural resources in this area. Public review and modification of these alternatives is currently underway. 
  
  
• Sacramento River Bend National Recreation Area Act – Senator Boxer and Senator Feinstein introduced the Sacramento River Bend National Recreation Area Act, legislation that would designate 17,000 acres of BLM public land adjacent to the Sacramento River Bend as a National Recreation Area. Boxer has been working with Tehama County to address their recommendations for the legislation, and plans to reintroduce the Act in the 111th session. 
  
  
• The Presidio – In the early 1990s, Senator Boxer successfully fought to defeat a Republican effort to sell the Presidio of San Francisco. She authored legislation in 1995 to create a government-owned Presidio Trust, a unique management and funding model that preserved the park’s natural, scenic, cultural, and recreational resources as it gradually became financially self-sufficient. This legislation was incorporated into a historic omnibus parks bill, which Senator Boxer helped lead to passage in 1996.
  
  
• Appropriations for Land Conservation – Senator Boxer has secured over $200 million for land acquisition in areas throughout California, including portions of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Pt. Reyes National Seashore, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Los Angeles Padres National Forest in Big Sur, Cleveland National Forest near San Diego, and Tahoe National Forest.  

Historic Preservation  

• Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial Enhancement Act of 2009 – Senator Boxer worked with Representative George Miller (D-CA-7) to enact legislation to expand access to the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial and ensure the long-term preservation of this important World War II site. The legislation was included in the 2009 Defense Authorization Bill. The Port Chicago Memorial marks the location of a 1944 explosion that killed and wounded numerous African American sailors and eventually paved the way for racial desegregation of the Armed Forces. Boxer’s bill designated the memorial site as a unit of the National Park system and authorized the Department of the Interior to work with the region to run a visitor’s center. It also allowed for the Secretary of Defense to transfer the memorial to the National Park Service.
   
  
• California Missions – Senator Boxer successfully fought to enact the California Missions Preservation Act in 2004 to help preserve and restore the California Missions. Senator Boxer’s legislation raised awareness of the historical value of these 21 missions, which represented the first arrival of non-Native Americans to California and played an integral role in California’s history, culture, agriculture, and economy. Through the Save America’s Treasures program, $2.25 million has been secured since Fiscal Year 2006 to help preserve the Missions. 
  
  
• The Western States Trail Study Act – Senator Boxer sponsored the Western States Trail Study Act in 2008 and 2009. This legislation would provide for a study by the Department of the Interior on the possible designation of the Western States Trail as a National Historic Trail. This trail running between Nevada and California was originally used by the Paiute and Washoe Indians and later became the most direct link between the gold camps of California and silver mines of Nevada. Professor William Brewer also followed part of this trail in his 1863 expedition as part of State Geologist Josiah Whitney’s survey of California. In 1955, it became the site of the world’s first and leading 100-mile equestrian trail ride, and in 1974 became the world’s first and leading ultra-marathon. These recreational events are of tremendous importance to the local community as well as to equestrians and runners throughout the nation. 
  
  
• The Gold Hill-Wakamatsu Preservation Act – In 2009, Senator Boxer introduced the Gold Hill-Wakamatsu Preservation Act, legislation to authorize the Bureau of Land Management to acquire the 272-acre Gold Hill Ranch near Coloma, California. This ranch has been recognized by the State of California, the Japanese American Citizens League, and numerous historians as the site of the first Japanese colony in the United States. This colony helped bridge Japanese and American cultures and paved the way for large-scale emigration of Japanese settlers to the United States and contributed to major Japanese influences on the agricultural economy of California.