Forest Service acquires 3,000 acres of newly public land in the Mendocino National Forest

MENDOCINO Co., 7/29/19 — The Yuki Wilderness, within the Mendocino National Forest, has expanded by 3,000 acres, thanks to a donation to the United States Forest Service from the national non-profit organization, The Trust for Public Land. The parcel, which is being called the “Sanhedrin Donation,” is part of a larger acquisition project in the works, and is located in the northeast of Hearst in the Middle Fork Eel River watershed.

Here’s the full announcement from USFS. You can see a map of the area below:

The Trust for Public Land gives land to Mendocino National Forest
WILLOWS, Calif., July 293, 2019 — The Trust for Public Land, a national conservation non-profit organization, has donated approximately 3,000 acres within the boundaries of the Mendocino National Forest in Mendocino County, California. The donation stipulates that the land must be incorporated into the adjacent Congressionally-designated Yuki Wilderness under Section 6(a) of the Wilderness Act of 1964 (16 U.S.C. §1135(a)).   

The Trust for Public Land parcel is called the Sanhedrin Donation and is part of the broader 11,800-acre Sanhedrin Acquisition Project. The Forest has partnered with The Trust for Public Land and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to purchase the remaining 8,800 acres with Land and Water Conservation Funds and private philanthropic donations. 
The land parcel is in the Middle Fork Eel River watershed, the largest sub-basin in the Eel River drainage. The donation will help protect critical habitat for the threatened Northern California steelhead. Forest Supervisor Ann Carlson says, “Other benefits from this generous donation include: enhancing recreational access to isolated areas of the forest, preserving wildlife migration connectivity between the Yuki and Sanhedrin Wilderness Areas, and improving water quality within the Elk Creek watershed, a major tributary to the Middle Fork. We appreciate the widespread support we have received for the Sanhedrin Donation and the Sanhedrin Acquisition Project.” 

“We are thrilled to be able to work with the US Forest Service to protect this land,” said Guillermo Rodriguez, California State Director for The Trust for Public Land, “This addition to the Mendocino National Forest represents the rare opportunity to protect a piece of land not just because it’s a great place to recreate outside but also because it protects drinking water and the habitat for wildlife. This project would not have been possible without the support of Senator Feinstein and Representative Huffman. We are grateful for the work they’re done to protect some of California’s most special places.”

The gift was supported by generous donations from the Wyss Foundation and the landowner, Coastal Forestlands, Ltd. After acceptance by the Secretary of Agriculture, the land shall become part of the designated Wilderness Area under Section 6(a).

USFS press release, July 29, 2019.