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Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act

Public Law 109-362 · H.R. 233 · 109th Congress · began in the House

Signed by George W. Bush (R) on Oct 17, 2006 · Public Lands and Natural Resources

Sponsor: Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA-1)

Cosponsors: None

Passage votes

  • HouseVoice vote
  • SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act - Designates specified areas in Mendocino and Six Rivers National Forests and in Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, and Napa Counties in the State of California as wilderness areas and as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Requires that such lands be administered by the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture, whoever has current administrative jurisdiction. Withdraws such federal lands designated as wilderness by this Act from all forms of: (1) entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws; (2) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws, and (3) disposition under all laws pertaining to mineral and geothermal leasing or mineral materials.

Releases from further wilderness study those portions of: (1) the King Range Wilderness Study Area, Chemise Mountain Instant Study Area, Red Mountain Wilderness Study Area, and Cedar Roughs Wilderness Study Area not designated as wilderness; and (2) the Rocky Creek/Cache Creek Wilderness Study Area in Lake County, California, not designated as wilderness.

Designates certain public land in the State administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) generally known as the South Fork Eel River Wilderness Area and Elkhorn Ridge Potential Wilderness as a potential wilderness area. Requires that the Secretary of the Interior manage such lands as wilderness and carry out ecological restoration activities.

Designates specified segments of the Black Butte River in the State as a wild and scenic river. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to submit a fire management plan and a report on the cultural and historic resources of Black Butte River.

Includes land identified as the King Range National Conservation Area Additions in the King Range Wilderness Area.

Establishes the Cow Mountain Recreation Area in Lake and Mendocino Counties, California. Allows the Secretary of the Interior to acquire lands or interests in lands in the Recreation Area from willing persons only. Requires lands or interests in lands within or adjacent to the boundaries of the Recreation Area that are acquired by BLM, and title or possession of which is vested in the United States, to be managed by such Secretary as part of the Recreation Area.

Directs the Secretary of the Interior, in order to continue traditional commercial surf fishing, to permit the right of entry for authorized vehicle access onto the wave slope area at that area known as Gold Bluffs Beach, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, and that part of the beach north and south Redwood Creek in Redwood National and State Parks.

Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Data notes

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Related bills

1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • S. 128Related billText similarities

    Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act

Data notes

Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 19 actions.

  1. Oct 17, 2006Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 109-362.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Oct 5, 2006FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Sep 29, 2006FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  5. FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  6. Jul 25, 2006CalendarCalendar · Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 533.
  7. Jul 24, 2006FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
  8. FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  9. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 233.
  10. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  11. FloorFloor · Mr. Walden (OR) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
  12. Jul 19, 2006CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.
  13. CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  14. CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health Discharged.
  15. Jul 14, 2005CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee Hearings Held.
  16. CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Forests and Forest Health Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
  17. Feb 3, 2005CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health.
  18. Jan 4, 2005CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Resources.
  19. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes

Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.

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Amendments

No amendments to this bill are on record.

Data notes

Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.