Congressman Simpson Gets An Earful at Boulder-White Clouds Hearings In early July, Rep. Simpson hosted three town hall meetings in Ketchum, Stanley and Challis, Idaho to gather public comment on his proposed framework for the Boulder-White Clouds. The vast majority of the people who spoke at all three meetings were wilderness supporters and while they praised Simpson for his initial efforts they also called for a number of improvements to the framework including the addition of more Wilderness areas in Simpson’s final legislative package.   July Brings Lots of Wilderness Action on Capitol Hill July is shaping up to be a busy month for wilderness advocates as Congress has scheduled hearings on a number of pending wilderness bills.   Bush Administration Proposes Wilderness Additions in Oregon’s Kalmiopsis Wilderness While Moving Forward with Controversial Salvage Logging Plan On July 8, 2004, Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman sent to Congress a proposal to designate approximately 64,000 acres as wilderness in Southwest Oregon. The announcement received a lukewarm reception as conservation groups in Oregon have identified substantially larger additions to the Kalmiopsis and the announcement came in tandem with the Forest Service’s Record of Decision which clears the way for its controversial plans to move forward with salvage logging projects in areas burned during the 2002 Biscuit fire in the Siskiyou forest.