The Wilderness Land Trust Protects 1,257 acres and Creates Recreational Access in California's Castle Crags Wilderness

Land deal protects key bald eagle and trout habitat along Little Castle Creek

CARBONDALE, Colo., Dec. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A unique alliance between a land trust, three timber companies, the climbing community and the Forest Service has resulted in permanent protection of the beloved Castle Crags area in central California, a rock climbing destination and an important water source for the citizens of California. 

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Two square miles of land adjacent to the Castle Crags State Park and Federal Wilderness were acquired by the Wilderness Land Trust this week by sale from Roseburg Forest Products. As a result of the acquisition, over 1,250 acres will be eventually transferred to the USDA-Forest Service for inclusion in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.  Funding for the transaction was provided by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, along with the Access Fund Land Conservation Campaign and The Conservation Alliance.

Eagles and other raptors frequently soar by the Crags, which contain world-class climbing opportunities. In the forest surrounding the Crags, almost 1,000 acres of mature timber also now stand protected.  The property is located south of Dunsmuir and Mount Shasta, just off Interstate 5, from which the Crags are clearly visible. Little Castle Creek provides spawning habitat for trout and fishing opportunities and it flows to the Sacramento River, providing clean water throughout California via the Sacramento River Delta.

"Roseburg recognized there was a higher and better use for this land and was happy to make the sale.  It maintains a long tradition of active community support for conservation and recreation efforts," said Scott Folk, Vice-President of Resources at Roseburg.

"These parcels were a better fit with the public lands in the area," said Arne Hultgren, Resource Manager with Roseburg. 

The transaction culminated two years of collaboration between Roseburg and the Trust. In addition, Sierra-Pacific Industries and Kimberly-Clark Corporation assisted in the disposition of legacy mineral and access issues.

Other partners critical to the success of the project were local climbers and businesses.  The Crags contain over 20 challenging climbing routes as recently detailed in the Castle Crags section of "Mount Shasta Area Rock Climbing—A Climber's Guide to Siskiyou County" by Grover Shipman.

"The land contains 360 acres of the Crags--dramatic rock outcrops with amazing views that also are part of local history--the Wintu Tribe fought and died to protect it and still come for spiritual healing and guidance and to collect plants for medicinal purposes," said Aimee Rutledge, the Wilderness Land Trust's California Program Manager.

"We are extremely gratified to protect this iconic land providing clean water, trout habitat and recreational access, and to enable the addition of this land to the Castle Crags Wilderness for future generations," said Reid Haughey, President of the Trust.

Ranging from the bottom of Little Castle Creek to the top of Castle Crags, the area has few developed trails, the primary one accessing Castle Dome.  Local groups like the Mount Shasta Trail Association have proposed building an Around-the-Crags Trail at some time in the future.  Views of both Mount Shasta and Mount Lassen abound from the Castle Crags Wilderness.

"The acquisition is a great example of a large-scale win-win for conservation, cultural resources, and recreation, including access to incredible wilderness climbing," says Joe Sambataro, the Access Fund's Access Director. "We are delighted to play a supporting role in assisting the Trust."

"We are proud to be a part of the effort to increase the protected acreage at Castle Crags, and to improve access to this special place," said John Sterling, Executive Director of The Conservation Alliance, a group of outdoor industry companies that work together to support conservation initiatives. "Our member companies benefit when outdoor recreation is more accessible."

The Wilderness Land Trust

The Wilderness Land Trust is a small, highly specialized nonprofit organization established to buy and protect wilderness land. Since it was founded in 1992, the non-profit organization has preserved more than 373 parcels comprising of more than 38,500 acres of wilderness inholdings in 88 designated and proposed wilderness areas. The Wilderness Land Trust, a 501(c)(3) organization, has offices in California and Colorado.  For more information visit our website www.wildernesslandtrust.org.

The Wilderness Land Trust is a 1% for the Planet Non-Profit Partner.  Visit www.onepercentfortheplanet.org for more information.

Roseburg Resources Company

Roseburg has been around for 77 years and has manufacturing facilities in five states that provide a complete array of panels, studs and engineered wood for nationwide distribution. Over half of the raw material originates from their own timberlands, located in Oregon and California. Sustainability is an important component, as demonstrated by the full line of goods sourced from the portion of their timberlands certified under the standards of the Forest Stewardship Council since 2000.  In addition, they are the largest west coast producer of clean-chips for shipment to Pacific Rim countries.  This integrated scenario is rounded out with over 60 megawatts of renewable energy produced every hour, from mill residuals and forest thinnings.  Details available at www.roseburg.com.

Contacts: Aimee Rutledge, California Program Manager
415-606-5895, [email protected]
www.wildernesslandtrust.org

Arne Hultgren, Roseburg Resources Company
541-430-8623, [email protected]
www.rfpco.com

SOURCE The Wilderness Land Trust