Turning the tide on wilderness and hope

Oregon Wild Executive Director Regna Merritt looks to the future of Wilderness protection in Oregon.

What does the word "hope" mean in America today? With the inauguration of Barack Obama, "hope" is the word that embodies the beliefs of millions of Americans. It is a justifiable, nearly tangible, virtue that will define our nation in the years ahead.

For many Oregonians who cherish the natural wonders of our state, there were additional January events in Washington, D.C., that lifted our spirits and gave us hope. In one of the first acts of the 111th Congress, Sen. Ron Wyden and his colleagues passed the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009. While the bill may not have a catchy name, the places here in Oregon protected by this law are some of our most breathtaking:

• Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness (127,000 acres): old-growth forests, alpine meadows, salmon streams, and unparalleled vistas in the Columbia River Gorge and surrounding Mount Hood.
• Copper Salmon Wilderness (13,000 acres): the most productive salmon and steelhead fishery of its size in the lower 48 states.
• Soda Mountain Wilderness (23,000 acres): an ecological wonder where the Cascades and the Siskiyou Mountains meet amid craggy peaks and blooming wildflowers.
• Badlands Wilderness (30,000 acres): A geological playground of mind-bending rock formations and ancient junipers.
• Spring Basin Wilderness (9,000 acres): Spectacular vistas and wildlife habitat along the John Day River.

Soon the U.S. House will vote on this bill, and these areas will be forever protected -- treasures preserved to awe, inspire and give hope to future generations.

Sen. Ron Wyden has worked hard to protect all five of these special places. Rep. Earl Blumenauer held citizen hearings and laced up his hiking boots to explore and advocate for Mount Hood, while Rep. Peter DeFazio ventured into the old-growth forests along the Elk River to safeguard the area known as Copper Salmon. Jeff Merkley cast his first vote as a U.S. senator in support of protecting Oregon's wildlands, wildlife and waters. Former Sen. Gordon Smith and Rep. Greg Walden also had a hand in making these wilderness protections a reality.

Our elected leaders deserve thanks from all Oregonians for their work to protect these special places. However, we must not forget the hard work that lies ahead.

Oregon's 202,000 acres of new wilderness represents the most significant expansion of protected areas in the state in two decades. But unfortunately, only 3.7% of Oregon is currently safeguarded as wilderness. This paltry number is even more striking when we compare Oregon to our neighbors. The citizens of Idaho have protected 7.5% of their state as wilderness, California has protected 14%, and Washington 10%.

Oregon has no shortage of spectacular areas deserving of wilderness protection. The Wild Rogue outside of Grants Pass is a mecca for whitewater enthusiasts, nature lovers and fishermen, yet much of the land along it remains open to logging and development. Further south is Oregon's Yellowstone, the spectacular wildlands, unique plants and beautiful wildflowers of the Kalmiopsis region. In the Umpqua River watershed, rugged Bull Dog Rock and much of the wildlands around Mount Theilson awe and inspire, but remain unprotected.

In 1984, Republican Sen. Mark Hatfield, working with President Ronald Reagan, passed legislation that protected over 800,000 acres of wilderness in Oregon. Today, with a pro-environment Congress and president, Oregonians who treasure our wildlands have a reason to think big again. As we look forward to celebrating the passage of the largest Oregon wilderness bill in decades, let us not forget to look forward, with hope, to a brighter, greener future for our state.