"Science is the acceptance of what works and the rejection of what does not. That needs more courage than we might think."—Jacob Bownowski, 1908-1974 Mathematician, Biologist
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What will Fort Bragg's future will look Like?
We'll never have a better opportunity to forge a strong economy and an environmentally sound future for this coastal community. With a thorough clean-up and a restorative environmental design our coastal community will be ready for the challenges of climate change.
The Fort Bragg Headlands consists of over 430 acres of undeveloped property in the City of Fort Bragg west of the residential and business areas of the city. It has been the site of a lumber mill since 1873. The current owner of the property, Georgia-Pacific, ended its lumber operation in 2002. For 17 years, the property has been the site of an excruciatingly slow process of cleaning up and making this land available for its next chapter in the environmental, economic, and quality life fabric of the coastal community. As an industrial sight for the past 200 years under multiple ownership, the Fort Bragg Headlands have been subject to a heavy hand by man. Natural contours have been flattened and covered in asphalt, natural streams have been culverted, redirected, and held back from a natural path to the Pacific by a mill pond, a berm and dam made of redwood logs and land created from flotsam and jetsam over decades.
For the nearly two decades since the Georgia-Pacific Mill started winding down, the Fort Bragg community and its leaders have been engaged in one effort after another to have influence over the repurposing of this land. Not only did the mill occupy 1/3rd of the City of Fort Bragg, it was its main source of employment.
As the last decade and a half have slipped by, concerned citizens, City staff, and a series of City Council and Planning Commission men and women have struggled to find a clear path to a future for the community. Stakeholders including state agencies such as the Department of Toxic Substances Control, Department of Water Resources and the Dam Safety Agency, Department of Fish and Wildlife, have played out their oversight role with intermittent commitment and varying success. Nonprofit groups like the Audubon Society and the Mendocino Land Trust wait, unable to bring their resources to bear until difficult issues such as ownership, zoning, and remediation are resolved. Volunteer adhoc advocacy groups such as Noyo Headland Unified Design Group worked at the grassroots level keeping the community informed and involved in a seemingly hopeless debate that has gone on for too long.
Seventeen senior classes have graduated from Fort Bragg High School in the year's since the mill closed. Many young people moved out of the community to find education and the living they need to start a family.
The Fort Bragg Headlands consists of over 430 acres of undeveloped property in the City of Fort Bragg west of the residential and business areas of the city. It has been the site of a lumber mill since 1873. The current owner of the property, Georgia-Pacific, ended its lumber operation in 2002. For 17 years, the property has been the site of an excruciatingly slow process of cleaning up and making this land available for its next chapter in the environmental, economic, and quality life fabric of the coastal community. As an industrial sight for the past 200 years under multiple ownership, the Fort Bragg Headlands have been subject to a heavy hand by man. Natural contours have been flattened and covered in asphalt, natural streams have been culverted, redirected, and held back from a natural path to the Pacific by a mill pond, a berm and dam made of redwood logs and land created from flotsam and jetsam over decades.
For the nearly two decades since the Georgia-Pacific Mill started winding down, the Fort Bragg community and its leaders have been engaged in one effort after another to have influence over the repurposing of this land. Not only did the mill occupy 1/3rd of the City of Fort Bragg, it was its main source of employment.
As the last decade and a half have slipped by, concerned citizens, City staff, and a series of City Council and Planning Commission men and women have struggled to find a clear path to a future for the community. Stakeholders including state agencies such as the Department of Toxic Substances Control, Department of Water Resources and the Dam Safety Agency, Department of Fish and Wildlife, have played out their oversight role with intermittent commitment and varying success. Nonprofit groups like the Audubon Society and the Mendocino Land Trust wait, unable to bring their resources to bear until difficult issues such as ownership, zoning, and remediation are resolved. Volunteer adhoc advocacy groups such as Noyo Headland Unified Design Group worked at the grassroots level keeping the community informed and involved in a seemingly hopeless debate that has gone on for too long.
Seventeen senior classes have graduated from Fort Bragg High School in the year's since the mill closed. Many young people moved out of the community to find education and the living they need to start a family.
