FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Devil’s Staircase Gets First House Committee Hearing in 111th Congress

Popularity of Wilderness legislation propels protections forward

Conservationists hope hearing marks the beginning of a better path forward in the current Congress for wildlands protection.

A hiker pauses to wonder at a giant cedar tree in the proposed Devil's Staircase Wilderness (photo by David Tvedt)

What: Devil’s Staircase Wilderness Act hearing in U.S House of Representatives Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands

When: Tuesday, October 25, 2011 – 10:00 a.m.

Where: 1334 Longworth House Office Building (Washington, D.C.)

About the Devil’s Staircase:

The Devil’s Staircase Wilderness Act would provide the highest possible federal protection for a pristine oasis of forest located west of Eugene in the Wasson Creek area of the Coast Range. The approximately 30,000-acre proposal features rugged mountains blanketed with some of the last old-growth remaining in the Coast Range, providing prime habitat for dozens of wildlife species. Locals have been fighting to protect this magical place for decades, often venturing to the remote cascading waterfall that gives the area its name.

The Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service, who share management responsibilities for areas covered by the proposed Wilderness, have both endorsed the legislation. Only 4% of Oregon is protected as Wilderness – the highest level of protection for public lands – while neighbors Idaho (8%), Washington (10%), and California (15%) have protected far more.

Rep. Peter DeFazio is the primary sponsor of the Devil’s Staircase bill. Joining him in support are Rep. Earl Blumenauer and Rep. Kurt Schrader. A companion bill in the Senate is sponsored by Sen. Ron Wyden and Sen. Jeff Merkley.

Statement of Erik Fernandez, Wilderness Coordinator for Oregon Wild:

“Given the onslaught of environmental attacks pushed forward by the current Congress, it’s a nice bit of good news to see the Devil’s Staircase move forward with a committee hearing. Protections for this magical place have been supported for so long, by such a wide array of people that it really should be a no-brainer to make it Wilderness.

“Given the current deficit of public lands protection in Oregon, we can’t afford to wait and risk losing natural treasures like Devil’s Staircase.”

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