June 5, 2002
Save-the-Redwoods League is pleased to announce the $60 million purchase of the 25,000-acre Mill Creek redwood forest in Del Norte County. The purchase is the League’s single largest acquisition in its 84-year history.
“This acquisition is a milestone in the history of redwood conservation,” noted Kate Anderton, Executive Director of Save-the-Redwoods League. “Protection of the redwoods of Mill Creek has been a priority for the League for more than 70 years. The acquisition provides watershed protection for the primeval forests of Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, strengthens connections between the parks of Redwood National and State Parks and the Smith River National Recreation Area, and permanently protects one of California’s most prolific wild coho salmon nurseries.” The land also supports 23 listed animal species including the marbled murrelet and the northern spotted owl.
The Mill Creek property was purchased from Stimson Lumber Company of Portland, Oregon. Despite heavy logging for the last forty years, Mill Creek’s 39 miles of clear, cold waters support one of the strongest wild populations of coho salmon in Northern California. Healthy runs of steelhead, coastal cutthroat trout, and chinook salmon also thrive. These fish spend their adult lives in the salt waters of the Pacific Ocean, and return via the Smith River to spawn in the fresh-water streams of Mill Creek where they were hatched. Their young depend on clean gravel and cold water for survival. With conservation management, spawning and nursery habitats in Mill Creek will support larger populations, capable of re-colonizing degraded areas of the Smith River.
Grants to enhance and restore salmon habitat funded by bonds recently approved by the people of the State of California, played a key role in funding the purchase. According to Bob Hight, Director of the California Department of Fish and Game, “Acquisition will ensure protection and enhancement of salmon habitat for the long term.” The purchase was actively supported by a host of conservation groups dedicated to the future of California’s commercial and recreational fisheries.
Mill Creek is bordered on three sides by more than 6 million acres of protected public land. The Mill Creek property was a missing piece in a conservation puzzle. Acting Director of the California State Department of Parks and Recreation, Ruth Coleman said, “Mill Creek, together with our Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park and Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, is the largest contiguous redwood forest yet preserved in California. It is particularly important because it links coastal habitats to the Klamath-Siskiyou’s inland forest, an area that contains one of the most diverse array of plants found anywhere in the state. Some have called it a `botanical wonderland’.” The property will be managed by the Department of Parks and Recreation in consultation with an Advisory Committee composed of representatives of the public funders and Save-the-Redwoods League to promote return of old growth forest characteristics and habitat values, and compatible recreation.
Recreational and educational opportunities at Mill Creek are an important companion benefit of the project. “The League and the Coastal Conservancy are co-funding development of an interim plan to identify natural resource management priorities and recreational opportunities. We are committed to continuing to work closely with the Department of Parks and Recreation and local teachers and leaders to create educational and recreational opportunities that benefit the local community and economy as well as the people of the State of California,” noted Anderton.
“I feel there are some great opportunities up there at Mill Creek,” commented Chuck Blackburn Chair Board of Supervisors Del Norte County. “I hope we can see the days where there are programs and facilities there to provide for people. The interpretive and educational opportunities are really great. I think there is a win-win situation for all concerned. I don’t know the full spectrum of things that can happen but I hope we can look outside the box. I hope there will be opportunities to bring people into this community and that we will be able to keep them here in Del Norte County for a while.”
In an unusual demonstration of commitment to the local community, Stimson Lumber Company and the League jointly granted $5 million to Del Norte County to replace potential revenue loss associated with the purchase. The Mill Creek purchase is 4% of the County’s area.
Al Wright, Executive Director of the State’s Wildlife Conservation Board, was a key catalyst mobilizing the State’s contributions from the Coastal Conservancy, the Department of Parks and Recreation, the Department of Fish and Game and the Wildlife Conservation Board. “Mill Creek was a great opportunity to bring funding partners together to accomplish a very important project. A project like Mill Creek only comes along one time in a ten or fifteen year period. It is a great success.”
Leadership of elected representatives was pivotal in marshalling the broad support necessary for the purchase. Senator Byron Sher, Chair of the Budget Subcommittee on Resources, Environmental Protection, Judiciary, Transportation and Energy, Senator Wes Chesbro and Assemblymember Virginia Strom-Martin all played key roles in securing funding in a difficult budget year. Congressman Mike Thompson built support for a grant from US Fish and Wildlife Service. Major private donors to the League, including the Paul G. Allen Forest Protection Foundation, the Evelyn Tilden Mohrhardt Fund, the Elizabeth and Stephen Bechtel Jr. Foundation, and the Bella Vista Foundation, joined more than 8500 League members from all 50 states to contribute $15 million in private funding.
“The purchase of Mill Creek is another demonstration of the Davis Administration’s
commitment to preserving California’s wildlife and natural landscapes,”
said Mary D. Nichols, California Secretary for Resources. “It is an example
of partnerships at work – of California working with private foundations
and a broad array of public agencies toward a single goal: to pass on our impressive
natural legacy to future generations.”
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