New Wilderness Expected in Northwest
In the coming months Congress could pass four bills creating wilderness in the Pacific Northwest. There are two each for Oregon and Washington, and these measures would add a total of 265,000 acres of public lands to the National Wilderness Preservation System.
One bill (S. 2034, H.R. 3513) would preserve the Copper Salmon area in southwestern Oregon’s Siskiyou National Forest. Harboring Douglas fir up to 300 feet high and 10 feet wide, this area’s streams contain one of the continent’s healthiest fisheries for salmon, steelhead, and cutthroat trout. “Our community depends on the health of the Elk River watershed,” says Jim Rogers of Port Orford, a former logger who is active with the Friends of Elk River. Introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), this bill would protect 13,700 acres adjacent to the Grassy Knob Wilderness and add 9.3 miles to the Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
The other Oregon bill (S. 647) would safeguard a number of spots close to Mount Hood, including Roaring River, Larch Mountain, Bonney Butte, and Bull of the Woods. “No place in the state is more beloved by Oregonians than Mt. Hood,” says The Wilderness Society’s Bob Freimark, “and we salute Senators Wyden and (Gordon) Smith for their leadership in this bipartisan effort to add 125,000 acres of old-growth stands, free-flowing rivers, and other areas to the Wilderness System.”
The state of Washington has not been able to celebrate a new wilderness area for almost 20 years. That could change this fall with passage of the Wild Sky bill (H.R. 886, S. 520), which would protect 106,000 acres in the heart of the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest about 90 minutes from Seattle. Congressman Rick Larsen (D-WA) and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) have championed this legislation, which was blocked for several years by House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo (R-CA) before his defeat in the 2006 election.
Alpine Lakes is just 45 minutes east of downtown Seattle and has been one of the nation’s most popular wilderness areas since its protection in 1976. Congressman Dave Reichert (R-WA) is leading an effort in Congress to add more than 20,000 acres of national forest land to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. These lands will no longer face the threat of logging and will remain prime spots for those who enjoy camping, rafting, fishing, hiking, and other activities. Low-elevation lands like these are snow-free much of the year and support many more species than higher-elevation habitats. Reichert’s proposal also would make the 11-mile Pratt River part of the Wild and Scenic Rivers System, thereby preventing dam construction and other development on the Pratt or within a quarter-mile buffer on both sides.
