FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Conservationists Cheer Introduction of Senate Mt. Hood Wilderness Bill

Conservationists Cheer Introduction of Senate Mt. Hood Wilderness Bill

Oregon Natural Resources Council (ONRC), Oregon Council of Trout Unlimited, Friends of the Columbia Gorge, American Rivers, and Audubon Society of Portland today praised the introduction of the Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness Act of 2006 in the US Senate. The compromise bill, sponsored by Senator’s Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Gordon Smith (R-OR), would protect 128,400 acres of Wilderness and 81 miles of Wild and Scenic rivers around Mount Hood and in the Columbia Gorge.

Portland, OR Sep 07, 2006 Oregon Natural Resources Council (ONRC), Oregon Council of Trout Unlimited, Friends of the Columbia Gorge, American Rivers, and Audubon Society of Portland today praised the introduction of the Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness Act of 2006 in the US Senate. The compromise bill, sponsored by Senator’s Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Gordon Smith (R-OR), would protect 128,400 acres of Wilderness and 81 miles of Wild and Scenic rivers around Mount Hood and in the Columbia Gorge.

"Senator Wyden and Senator Smith have introduced an excellent compromise to protect Oregon’s most beloved scenic icons, Mount Hood and the Columbia Gorge,” observed Regna Merritt, Executive Director of the Oregon Natural Resources Council. “Now we need the entire Oregon delegation to pull together to protect 128,000 acres of new Wilderness this year.”

Momentum for Mount Hood Wilderness legislation increased this year with the passage of HR 5025, The Mount Hood Stewardship Legacy Act. This bipartisan legislation was crafted by Representatives Greg Walden (R-OR) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR). The Senate legislation introduced today is a compromise brokered by Senator Gordon Smith. It bridges the gap between the 77,500 acre House legislation and the more ambitious 177,000 acre plan introduced by Senator Wyden in 2004. Both bills are the result of extensive public input at numerous forums held in Portland, Hood River, and Timberline Lodge.

“Oregonians of all political stripes are united in our desire to see the last unspoiled lands and rivers around Mount Hood and in the Columbia Gorge protected,” observed Kevin Gorman, Executive Director of Friends of the Columbia Gorge. “Our elected officials need to come together to ensure all 128,400 acres of Wilderness and 81 miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers are protected this year.”

The Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness Act of 2006 includes everything safeguarded under HR 5025, as well as a number of other important areas. Some of the new Wilderness and Wild and Scenic River designations under the Senate legislation include: White River’s scenic canyons, rare plants, and fish habitat; the important raptor migration corridors of Bonney Butte; Memaloose Lake’s stunning old-growth forest; the beautiful whitewater of the East Fork of the Hood River; the ancient forests of Larch Mountain; Fish Creek’s beautiful forests and remarkable fish habitat; and the outstanding boating opportunities on the Collawash River.

“In addition to the wilderness protections, Senators Smith and Wyden have crafted legislation that continues our legacy of protecting Oregon's last, best free-flowing rivers as Wild and Scenic,” said David Moryc of American Rivers. “These wild rivers flowing off of Mt. Hood provide clean drinking water, world-class recreation opportunities, and important economic benefits for communities around the mountain and across the state.”

“The Senate’s Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness Act of 2006 is a balanced compromise that will safeguard the clean water and wild salmon and steelhead that help define Oregon,” said Tom Wolf, Chair of the Oregon Council of Trout Unlimited. “By protecting streams like Fifteenmile Creek, the East Fork of the Hood River, the Collawash River, and Fish Creek, this plan would leave a tremendous legacy for our children,” Wolf remarked.

Senator Smith and Wyden’s Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness Act of 2006 would also designate a 17,000 acre National Recreation Area (NRA) that would prohibit commercial logging, development, and road building in Boulder Lake, Fifteenmile Creek, and other areas. Although many of these areas are deserving of the greater legal protection offered by Wilderness, the NRA designation would provide some key safeguards.

“While the Senate plan does not preserve every acre of wildlands around Mount Hood, it is a reasonable and balanced compromise that we support,” said Merritt. “Senator Smith deserves enormous praise for brokering this plan.”

###

###