CJ1
Member since May 29, 2009
Recent Comments
Re: “The McKay Tract”
It is very important to preserve the McKay Forest, as it is vital contiguous forest to the Headwaters Forest Reserve (14,000 acres combined), preserving wildlife migration routes and habitat for numerous endangered, threatened, and native species.
The McKay Forest could be a “jewel in Humboldt’s Crown,” a valued parkland, a greatly needed carbon offset forest, a vital wildlife reserve, a productive community forest, regional land trust forest, state or national parkland, and an extension of the Headwaters Forest Reserve. Preserving this uniquely important forest, with immense potential for growing the largest trees in the world, will simultaneously create a significant carbon offset forest, while preserving a bioregion of great significance.
Half of the world’s old growth redwoods are in Humboldt County. The McKay/Headwaters Forest is possibly the largest and is most vital contiguous forest surrounding the entire Humboldt Bay Area. It has undeveloped redwood forestland with the highest possible level of biological diversity, from endangered and threatened species such as Northern Spotted Owl and Peregrine Falcon; to native animals and plants such as bear, deer, salamander, fox, mountain lion, flying squirrel and tiger lily. The region is known to have one of the highest bear populations in northern Humboldt County. It also includes the largest and most important Coho Salmon spawning run in the Humboldt Bay Area, which is biologically intertwined with the life, and preservation of the forest and its incredible biodiversity.
Saving the bioregion of the McKay Forest has important global significance. PBS.org states that “Much is made of the rain forest of the Amazon Basin, but a measurement of the bio-mass/acre showed old growth redwood forest hold (habitat) 9 times that of the Amazon. It is for this incredible profusion of life that Prairie Creek State Park has been classified by the United Nations as a World Heritage site and an International Biosphere Reserve.” Saving the McKay Forest will preserve an important bioregion (the northwest is one of only seven temperature rainforests in the world) and protect enormous habitat for important endangered, threatened, and native species of vast numbers.
Re: “The McKay Tract”
“Whenever we encroach on the natural world, we crop the boundaries of our own existence, cut off our fields of solace and sensation. Vistas, textures, odors and sound fade and then disappear. In destroying wilderness, we deny ourselves the full extent of what it means to be alive.” - Edgar Wayburn, conservationist of more wilderness than any other person alive.
Encroaching upon the McKay wilderness must not happen. An urban boundary line needs to be drawn, not urban sprawl. The Mckay: Save it! Don’t Pave it !