Twin bills propose coastal preserve

Wilderness - Salmon and old growth dominate the 13,700 acres at the Elk River's headwaters near Port Orford

Twin bills introduced in Congress on Monday would put 13,700 acres of coastal forest filled with centuries-old trees and rushing salmon streams off-limits to roads, logging and other development, creating Oregon's newest wilderness area.

The proposed Copper Salmon Wilderness, encompassing the headwaters of the Elk River near Port Orford, has been on the wish list of local communities and environmental groups for nearly a decade. But Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Peter DeFazio, Oregon Democrats who introduced companion bills in the Senate and House to create the wilderness, think this is the year the wish may finally come true.

"Now that the Republicans no longer control the Congress, there's a possibility of doing a meritorious wilderness bill," DeFazio said Monday.

He said former Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Calif., who was the gatekeeper for wilderness bills before he lost re-election last year, "hated wilderness with a passion."

Wyden chairs the Senate committee that will consider the bill.

DeFazio also predicted a strong chance the bill for the Copper Salmon Wilderness will be combined with another Senate bill protecting 125,000 acres around Mount Hood as new wilderness, creating an all-encompassing Oregon wilderness bill.

The Copper Salmon region is part of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, and its centerpiece, the Elk River, is considered one of the healthiest and most productive salmon streams in the Northwest. It has generally escaped logging and development, and its protection is vital to maintaining a healthy fishing and tourism industry on Oregon's south coast, Port Orford Mayor Jim Auborn said.

"It's really very important to our local economy to protect that area," he said.

Curry County commissioners, the Port Orford City Council and the local chamber of commerce all endorsed the new wilderness proposal. Wilderness designation prevents logging, mining and road building, but hunting and fishing could continue.

"There's virtually no local opposition," Auborn said.

He said the Copper Salmon proposal waited in the wings while the Oregon congressional delegation worked to advance the much larger wilderness proposal on Mount Hood.

The proposed Copper Salmon Wilderness, though not large as wildernesses go, is full of rugged, steep slopes, covered by old-growth forests of Douglas fir and Port Orford cedar, a native tree that has been stricken by disease in much of its range. The area provides prime habitat for chinook and coho salmon, steelhead and rainbow and cutthroat trout.

Because the area lies next to the existing Grassy Knob Wilderness area, the bill would result in an even larger protected area.

Michael Milstein: 503-294-7689; michaelmilstein@ news.oregonian.com