Prop 40 (March 2002) & the Mattole Forest

The Mattole Forest contains roughly 3000 acres of old-growth Douglas Fir. Globally, very few old-growth stands of this size are still in existence.

The Mattole Valley is the most seismically active area in the continental U.S. It is at the juncture of three tectonic plates, the Punta Gorda plate, the Juan de Fuca plate, and the Pacific Ocean. The proximity of these earthquake faults combined with the high average rainfall (over 100 inches) magnify the instability of these steep hillsides. Logging these hillsides puts downstream landowners and businesses at risk of flooding and physical danger.

Large tracts of low elevation Douglas Fir are scarce in California and provide crucial habitat to a number of rare, threatened, and endangered species. This intact ecosystem is home to Peregrine Falcons, Northern Goshawks, Northern Spotted Owls, Marbled Murrelets, Bald Eagles, and Summer Steelhead.

The Mattole Valley is sandwiched by Humboldt Redwoods State Park and the Kings Range National Conservation Area. To protect this area would be to create a vital biological corridor from the redwoods to the Pacific Ocean.

Proposition 40, the "Safe Parks" initiative, will be on the March, 2002 statewide ballot. As authored by Assembly Member Fred Keeley, the bill authorizes almost $3 billion for watershed protection and the formation of new State Parks in California. Various grassroots and government agencies would benefit directly from the initiative.

In order for these benefits to 'trickle down' to the Mattole Forest, however, the Wildlife Conservation Board must be urged to put funding it receives under Proposition 40 towards the purchase of the threatened forest. For more info head over to the Mattole Restoration Council or e-mail mrc@inreach.com.