Sponsors (4)
The bill secures long‑term conservation, recreation, and tribal access benefits across many thousands of acres and strengthens wildfire response and management clarity, but does so by restricting extractive and motorized uses, imposing planning and administrative requirements, and creating economic and access trade‑offs for some local communities and industries.
Residents, visitors, and wildlife benefit from long‑term federal protection of large tracts of public land (tens of thousands of acres)—preserving scenic, recreational, and ecological values for hiking, hunting, tourism, and habitat conservation.
Hikers and outdoor users gain expanded and better‑connected recreation opportunities (new or improved trails and a potential scenic corridor), which can increase outdoor access and boost local recreation tourism.
State and local agencies gain clearer authority and continued federal authorization/funding for wildfire, insect, and disease control and for installing monitoring devices, supporting faster coordinated responses and reduced catastrophic fire risk to nearby communities.
Local economies and industries could lose future opportunities—mining, oil and gas, geothermal, mineral leasing, public land disposal, and some development are restricted—reducing potential jobs, local revenue, and tax base growth.
Broad wilderness and river designations prohibit motorized vehicles, permanent roads, and many structures, limiting access for OHV users and other motorized recreation and complicating certain land uses for nearby residents.
Required studies and planning (trail/special area evaluations) can delay on‑the‑ground improvements for years and impose upfront costs to taxpayers before benefits materialize.
Based on analysis of 11 sections of legislative text.
Designates new wilderness, scenic, and Wild and Scenic River segments in central coastal California and requires management plans and feasibility studies for trails and recreation.
Official title: To designate certain Federal land in the State of California as wilderness.
Introduced August 5, 2025 by Salud Carbajal · Last progress August 5, 2025
Designates multiple wilderness areas, scenic areas, and Wild and Scenic River segments in parts of central coastal California; creates a Fox Mountain Special Management Area and two scenic areas; requires studies and management plans to expand nonmotorized recreation, evaluate a long-distance Condor National Scenic Trail, and examine a new small off‑highway vehicle connector route. It preserves tribal access for traditional uses, protects resources through land and use restrictions, and directs agencies to file maps and plans and to manage the new areas under existing laws (Wilderness Act, National Forest System laws, and FLPMA).