Acquisition of Property at Mill Creek

Redwood National and State Park
Acquisition of Property at Mill Creek

Notice of Public Hearing

The California Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) will hold a hearing to hear comments on its proposal to acquire up to 25,000 acres of land in the Mill Creek and Rock Creek drainages of Del Norte County. DPR intends to add the land to the State Park System. This acquisition would place practically the entire Mill Creek and Rock Creek basins within Redwood National and State Park boundaries. The property is bounded on its north and west sides by state and federal parklands, on its east side by the Smith River National Recreation Area of Six Rivers National Forest and other public lands, and on its south side by Simpson Timber Company lands. Plant cover on the property is predominately redwood forest except for a band along its east side of open pine forest interspersed with shrubs, grasses and wet areas. The redwood forest has been logged except for a few small patches of old growth. Mill and Rock Creeks provide excellent spawning and nursery habitat for chinook and coho salmon, steelhead, and coastal cutthroat trout. Two federally and/or state-listed threatened or endangered species, the marbled murrelet and northern spotted owl, breed on the property. Addition of this property to California State Parks would protect these watersheds and link the Pacific Coast with the interior mountains in an expanse of public lands. No one resides on the property, but some structures from former logging and milling operations remain. Stimson Lumber Company, an Oregon Corporation, currently owns the property. Funding for the acquisition will come from DPR, other state agencies, and private sources. Save-the-Redwoods League, a private, non-profit organization, has taken the lead in facilitating the acquisition. The hearing will be held at the Crescent Fire Protection Community Center, 255 West Washington Blvd. (at the Northcrest Dr. intersection) on Thursday, November 1, 2001, from 7:00 p.m.-to-9:00 p.m. Off-street parking is available, and the hearing room is accessible to people with disabilities.

The purpose of the hearing is to record comments from local public officials and the general public on reasons this property should or should not be acquired by DPR for state park purposes. DPR staff will make a background presentation before opening the podium for comments. DPR will also accept written comments for the record if received by November 5. Please submit written comments at the hearing or send them to Warren Westrup, Chief, Office of Acquisition and Real Property Services, California Department of Parks and Recreation, P.O. Box 942896, Sacramento, CA 94296-0001 (E-mail: wwest@parks.ca.gov). As required by law, DPR will then submit a summary of the comments to the State Legislature prior to acquisition.

Questions about the hearing may be directed to Roger Willmarth at (916) 445-9099, or by e-mail at rwillm@parks.ca.gov. Information about the proposal is also available on the DPR website at www.parks.ca.gov under News and Announcements/News Releases 2001.

[Original signed by]

Warren E. Westrup, Chief
Office of Acquisition and Real Property Services