Senate Energy Committee Approves Bill to Expand
the Golden Gate National Recreation Area

August 2, 2001

Washington, DC -- The U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today unanimously approved legislation to add 4,700 acres to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Mateo County.

"I want to thank the committee for approving this legislation," Senator Feinstein said. "It will protect the sweeping views of the San Mateo Coast and ensure the protection of rich farmland, several miles of public trails, and an incredible array of wildlife and vegetation."

Specifically, the Ranch Corral de Tierra Golden Gate National Recreation Boundary Adjustment Act of 2001 would add 4,700 acres of pristine natural land to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Mateo County including a 4,262 acre parcel known as the Rancho Corral de Tierra .

The mountainous property, which surrounds the coastal towns of Moss Beach and Montara, was previously purchased by the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST). The Trust has agreed to transfer the land to the Federal Government for about half of the purchase cost.

"The addition of the Rancho Corral de Tierra property will result in the protection of all or part of four watersheds, and several endangered species such as the peregrine falcon, San Bruno elfin butterfly, San Francisco garter snake, and the red-legged frog. Moreover, due to the coastal marine influence and dramatic altitude changes, plants grow on the property that are found nowhere else in the world," Senator Feinstein said.

The bill would also reauthorize the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Point Reyes National Seashore Advisory Commission for another 10 years. The Commission was established by Congress in 1972 to provide for the free exchange of ideas between the National Park Service and the public. The Advisory Commission holds open and accessible public meetings monthly at which the public has an opportunity to comment on park-related issues.

Similar legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives on May 23, 2001. That legislation was sponsored by Representative Tom Lantos and co-sponsored by Representatives Anna Eshoo, Nancy Pelosi, George Miller, Lynn Woolsey, Ellen Tauscher, Peter Stark, Mike Thompson, Barbara Lee, Mike Honda, and Zoe Lofgren.

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