Feds should complete wilderness protection

A valuable piece of Oregon awaits action by the Senate.

In Oregon's southwest corner, far from the Willamette Valley, lies the Copper Salmon region. It's so rugged, so remote, that most valley residents will never visit the area.

And that is exactly why it deserves federal protection as the Copper Salmon Wilderness.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation in April to create the wilderness. A similar bill awaits action in the Senate.

Adjacent to the Grassy Knob Wilderness, the area is part of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.

It includes the north and south forks of the Elk River, the upper Middle Fork of the Sixes River, mammoth stands of Port Orford cedar and old-growth Douglas firs.

As wilderness bills go, this one is small — fewer than 14,000 acres. Yet it's just as special as legislation to protect the sprawling Mount Hood wilderness.

For starters, the pressure for this bill comes from hunters and anglers, joined by business and civic leaders in southwest Oregon.

They want to protect the habitat that yields excellent hunting conditions as well as some of the finest salmon and steelhead streams in the Lower 48 states.

With few trails, the proposed area isn't inviting to most hikers, and it's too steep to log economically.

Under state rules, it's already off-limits to fishing so as to protect spawning grounds. It gets 150 inches of rain per year, which makes the area enticing only to outdoorspeople, who admire the big trees and who catch the big fish downstream.

It's easy to see why the local chamber of commerce supports the proposal: If this pristine habitat disappeared, so would the hunters, anglers and other eco-tourists whose presence drives the wintertime economy in North Curry County.

The habitat is remarkable. So is the bipartisan local, regional and statewide support. All it lacks is federal approval.