With August recess at a close, it has been a very busy few weeks regarding public lands. In late August, President Biden issued a proclamation to make September National Wilderness Month. This is incredibly exciting news given that 49% of the Los Padres National Forest is designated as Wilderness. Wilderness is the highest level of protection federal lands can receive!
Photo by Bryant Baker
For National Wilderness Month, we want to highlight one of the lesser-known Wilderness areas in the Los Padres: the Machesna Mountain Wilderness. The second smallest in the Los Padres, the Machesna Mountain Wilderness is located in the La Panza Range of San Luis Obispo County. It’s home to beautiful rock formations, extensive chaparral, Coulter pine forests, and blue oak woodlands. You can traverse the entire Wilderness area from north to south via the Castle Crags Trail, which is named after one of the stunning sandstone outcrops that sits prominently along the trail.
Additionally, earlier this month ForestWatch had the amazing opportunity to participate in an environmental roundtable with both Congressman Grijalva and Congressman Carbajal at the Community Environmental Council Hub. Congressman Grijalva spoke on his role as Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee and highlighted important legislation on the horizon. We were proud to steer the conversation on the importance of public lands and having good sound legislation moving forward.
A major highlight of the discussion was the opportunity to make home hardening at the forefront of bipartisan legislation. Congressman Carbajal acknowledged the importance of working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to create good legislation. Ranking member Grijalva noted most of the disagreements between members are science based regarding fire mitigation and fuel reduction. “There is a real opportunity in creating bipartisan legislation through home hardening,” said Carla Mena the Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs at Los Padres ForestWatch “Everyone agrees we have to protect our communities, and this is a great way to get bipartisan legislation passed moving forward”. Congressman Carbajal was receptive to the concept and asked his staffers to make note of this opportunity.
As we approach the end of the year it is important to reflect on the progress that has been made and where we have room to improve. We look forward to continuing to work with our allies and elected officials to create legislation that protects public lands like the Central Coast Heritage Protect Act.
“I encourage all Americans to experience our Nation’s outdoor heritage, to recreate responsibly and leave no trace, to celebrate the value of preserving an enduring wilderness, and to strengthen our commitment to protecting these vital lands and waters now and for future generations” – President Biden.
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