The California Coastal National Monument would be expanded in Mendocino County, making it the first onshore addition to the site, once a bill approved by the House this week clears Congress.

The expansion would add about 1,255 acres to the national monument north of San Francisco. The national monument covers the entire California coastline.

“By providing lasting national protection, we’re making the California Coastal National Monument more accessible to visitors and we’re raising the visibility of 1,200 acres of spectacular Mendocino County coastline,’' said the bill’s sponsor, freshman Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael).

The expansion, he told colleagues, also would boost the region’s tourism economy.


The area contains significant natural resources, including several riparian corridors, extensive wetlands, pine forests, meadows, coastal prairie and sand dunes.

“Dramatic blow holes and waterfalls cascading into the sea complement these natural resources,’' a Bureau of Land Management official said.

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