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Should one of Humboldt County’s most scenic trails be renamed after the late California Senator Dianne Feinstein?
That’s what would happen with the passage of new bill introduced today by Rep. Jared Huffman and Rep. Mike Thompson.
The Senator Dianne Feinstein Memorial Trail Act aims to rechristen the Elk River Trail in the Headwaters Forest Reserve after Feinstein, the state’s first female U.S. Senator, who served nearly six terms in Congress before her death in September at the age of 90.
Feinstein was among the key brokers of the 1999 deal in which the U.S. government purchased 7,472 acres of pristine redwood forest from the Pacific Lumber Co., then owned by the rapacious Maxxam Corp.
“Dianne Feinstein leaves a profound and enduring legacy – from gun violence prevention to reproductive and human rights, to protecting treasured lands,” Huffman said in a press release issued by Thompson’s office. “The breadth of her contributions to our state is unmatched, and among them is Northern California’s Headwaters Forest Reserve. Our bill will commemorate her through a memorial trail in the headwaters, which thanks to her will be preserved for future generations.”
Thompson added, “Senator Feinstein was directly responsible for the agreement that led to the United States purchasing the land from Pacific Lumber that became the Headwaters Forest Reserve. Throughout her time in public office, she was a steadfast advocate for protecting our beautiful state, and this bill is a testament to her outstanding efforts to ensure that future Californians will be able to share in the beauty.”