California

With President Biden’s commitment to mitigate climate change and protect biodiversity by safeguarding 30 percent of America’s lands and waters by 2030, the National Wilderness Preservation System is back on center stage. Opportunities abound to help realize the 30×30 vision in California, and The Wilderness Land Trust is poised to lead the way.

Connecting Habitat in California

California is home to 154 designated wilderness areas, more than any other state, and is second only to Alaska in acres protected as wilderness (15,346,666 acres). California’s wilderness areas are as diverse as the state’s landscapes, from the desert habitat of Joshua Tree Wilderness to the ancient coastal forests of Kings Range Wilderness, they protect some of the highest biodiversity in the West.

Kings Range Wilderness

Wilderness allows visitors the opportunity to explore, be inspired, and connect with loved ones. These unique landscapes leave us reveling in their raw beauty and the assurance that they will remain wild and free, now and for future generations.

And yet, there are dangers within these wilderness areas that threaten their resiliency. Within California’s wilderness areas there are over 100,000 acres of privately owned lands vulnerable to mineral extraction, logging and private development.

Protecting California Wilderness through the Wilderness Land Trust

Founded in 1992, The Wilderness Land Trust is the only organization solely dedicated to removing these threats from within and adjacent the boundaries of designated wilderness, or directly in the path of future wilderness designations. This is accomplished by purchasing these properties from willing sellers and then transferring them over to public ownership to be incorporated into the surrounding wilderness.

Land acquisition is a lengthy and complicated process that includes remote site visits, environmental analysis, appraisals, land owner negotiations and the execution of complex contracts.

Once a property is purchased, the Trust immediately embarks upon a similar journey to transfer the land over to the managing federal agency.

The Wilderness Land Trust projects underway across the state of California in Ventana, Trinity Alps, South Fork Eel River, and Sanhedrin Wilderness Areas, as well as the Mt. Biedman Wilderness Study Area, Bodie Wilderness Study Area, and Lost Creek Proposed Wilderness,

By systematically acquiring these properties, the Trust is stitching together the fabric of the wilderness one project at a time, until it’s completely free from the threat of private development.

We need your help to accomplish this goal

Your generous contribution today will help the Trust continue this work, with 25 percent of each gift used to support lands staff time and required due diligence to transfer each parcel.

For more information, contact:

Brad Borst, President at 206-842-1214 (o) | 206-397-5240 (c) | brad@wildernesslandtrust.org