About

Our Mission:

Ensure the permanent protection of California's remaining wild public lands and rivers.

In 1997 a group of concerned citizens joined together to discuss concerns about the rapid loss of California’s natural heritage. In an unprecedented action, these citizens began inventorying all of California’s potential wilderness and wild and scenic rivers.When the inventory was near completion in 2000, the citizens decided that they needed to form a coalition to work to protect California's wilderness and scenic rivers.

With the help of the newly formed California Wild Heritage Campaign, the citizens were able to finish the inventory. They found 7.5 million acres of public land that had yet to be protected as wilderness and roughly 4,000 miles of potential wild and scenic rivers.In 2002, Senator Barbara Boxer introduced the California Wild Heritage Act, seeking to protect 2.5 million acres of wilderness and 400 miles of rivers.That same year, President George W. Bush signed the Big Sur Wilderness and Conservation Act, sponsored by Rep. Sam Farr and Sen. Boxer.

The bill ensures that 55,000 acres on California's Central Coast will forever be protected.In 2003, Congressman Mike Thompson and Congresswoman Hilda Solis introduce the California Wild Heritage Act in the House of Representatives. The California Wild Heritage Campaign continues to expand the base of wilderness supporters and worked with the hunting, equestrian, and angler communities in preservation efforts.

In 2005, The California Wild Heritage Campaign had reason to celebrate when Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the Cache Creek Wild and Scenic River Bill which ensures that 31 miles of Cache Creek will be added to California's Wild and Scenic Rivers System.The California Wild Heritage Campaign had another reason to celebrate in 2006 with the passage of the “Northern California Coastal Heritage Wilderness Act,” sponsored by Sens. Boxer and Diane Feinstein and Congressman Mike Thomas. This bill protects 273,130 acres of public lands in Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino and Napa counties as wilderness and designates a 21-mile stretch of the Black Butte River as wild and scenic.

Major efforts are underway in Riverside County, the Eastern Sierra Nevada, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, the California desert, the San Gabriel Mountains, the Sacramento River, and Big Sur areas.

Click here to see a partial list of our supporters.