Interest Groups To Determine Future of More Than 140,000 Acres

"After three years of work, an array of interest groups are poised to determine the future of more than 140,000 acres of some of California's most ecologically rich and endangered watershed lands, among the largest swaths to be preserved in decades."

"At stake are lands owned by Pacific Gas & Electric Co. spread throughout 22 counties in the Sierra Nevada and Upper Cascade mountains that add up to roughly the size of Chicago and include some of the state's prime fishing, hunting and wilderness areas."

"So far, no land has been handed over to conservation groups or government agencies. Before that can happen, these parties, along with interest groups ranging from off-roaders and anglers to ecologists and gun-club members, will have to reconcile their differences in a process sure to take many years."

"The council works with a list of six "beneficial public values" it must conserve or enhance: outdoor recreation, sustainable forestry, agriculture, habitat protection, open space preservation and the protection of cultural and historic resources."