Federal Government Sells Land To Buy Black Forest
The federal government is selling federal lands in Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties to raise money to buy the Black Forest in Lake County. The forest is home to old-growth stands of Douglas fir, spotted owl habitat and nesting sites for Peregrine falcons.
The 252-acre forest towers over two parcels of land along Mount Konocti, a dormant volcano about 120 miles northeast of San Francisco. The federal Department of the Interior and Bureau of Land Management say they want to buy the land to preserve the forest ecosystem and provide public access. The Lake County Land Trust paid 300-thousand dollars for the land in April 2001.