FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Governor Kitzhaber Nominates Oregon Natural Crown Jewels

Oregon’s Governor pushes for Wilderness protection, hopes to add areas for national Crown Jewels list

Portland, Ore—Based on popular local support, Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber has nominated several of Oregon’s natural treasures for Wilderness protection. The areas submitted to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to be placed on a national “Crown Jewels” list represent a geographic diversity spanning all corners of the state and include the Wild Rogue, Devil’s Staircase, Cathedral Rock, and Horse Heaven areas.

The nominations represent the first step in the process of developing a national list of Crown Jewels that are deserving of Wilderness protection. Gov. Kitzhaber’s nominations have been sent to local and national BLM offices. Ultimately, Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar will compile nominations developed at the local level from throughout the country into a national list of Crown Jewels. The Obama Administration has then committed to work with Congress to establish Wilderness protections for these special places. Wilderness protection is the gold standard for protecting public lands for future generations.

“While Oregon has no shortage of natural treasures, we have a disturbing lack of protection for these areas,” noted Steve Pedery of Oregon Wild.  “From the towering old-growth forests in the Devil’s Staircase area to the whitewater rapids on the Rogue River, Oregon’s Crown Jewels deserve to be protected and we applaud Governor Kitzhaber for nominating them.”

Despite Oregon’s green reputation, the state lags far behind neighboring states when it comes to protecting natural treasures. While California has protected 15% of their state as Wilderness and Washington is at 10%, Oregon has protected only 4% of state land with the highest level of federal protections. Conservationists hope that the Crown Jewels effort will provide the local level support to provide momentum in Washington, D.C. to correct the current Wilderness imbalance in Oregon.

Crown Jewel Nominations

The Wild Rogue Wilderness is located in southwest Oregon and is a critical economic driver as it is home to some of the states healthiest salmon runs, best hiking trails, and amazing whitewater rafting that attracts people from all over the world.

“Oregon’s Wild Rogue River is one of the nation’s premier wild places and a place representative of our natural heritage that deserves protection,” said Shane Jimerfield, with KS Wild. “For generations local families and businesses have cherished the Rogue River and prospered from its many treasures.”

The Devil’s Staircase Wilderness, located in the Coast Range mountains west of Eugene, is named after a mythical and extremely difficult to access waterfall at its center. The forests surrounding the waterfall represent the last significant refuge of unlogged old-growth forests in the Coast Range.

The Cathedral Rock and Horse Heaven areas are located along the John Day River in north central Oregon. Proposals to protect these areas include improving public access to this popular rafting and fishing destination. They encompass dramatic basalt cliffs and rolling hills of juniper, sagebrush, and bluebunch wheatgrass.

“The consolidation of the BLM checkerboard pattern in this area creates accessible lands for the public to camp, hike, hunt and fish,” noted John Day Coordinator for the Oregon Natural Desert Assiocation, Aaron Killgore. “Wilderness designation ensures that the wildlife and untouched landscape will be there for generations to come.”

Notably, the Crown Jewels effort is limited to BLM lands. While Oregon’s National Forest lands contain many Wilderness-quality areas, they are not eligible for nomination. While the effort is primarily aimed at areas that have sufficient local support to pass in the current Congress, there were several additional areas highlighted by the Governor’s office that are deserving of Wilderness protection down the road including: Sutton Mountain (Prineville BLM District), Crabtree Lake (Salem BLM District), Green Springs Mountain (Medford BLM District), and the Owyhee Canyonlands (Vale and Burns BLM Districts).

“We applaud Governor Kitzhaber for conveying to the Obama Administration the broad public support in Oregon for protecting wild places on BLM lands in the state,” said Ivan Maluski, Conservation Director for the Oregon Chapter Sierra Club. “We hope that Congress will move quickly to protect the Rogue River, Devil's Staircase, Cathedral Rock, Horse Heaven and other BLM wildlands in Oregon.”

See Governor Kitzhaber’s letter here.

http://www.oregonwild.org/wilderness/9.27.11_SalazarShepard.pdf

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