FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Oregonians Invite Oklahoma Senator To See Mount Hood Up Close

Business Owners, Conservationists and Elected Officials Join To Support Protections For Mt. Hood

Group feels that if the Oklahoma Senator could see Mount Hood he would understand why it deserves the highest protections currently available for our public lands.

Mount Hood rising tall. Photo by Sandy Lonsdale.

Local businesses and elected officials have joined with the conservation group, Oregon Wild today to invite Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn to visit areas around Mount Hood currently being considered for Wilderness protection. In recent months, Senator Coburn has blocked the Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness bill, legislation that would provide protections for 125,000 acres of Wilderness and 81 miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers surrounding the state’s tallest peak.

“We take people on hikes to Mount Hood all the time with the hope that we can get them excited about protecting some of our last wild areas in Oregon,” said Erik Fernandez of Oregon Wild, who has worked on the Mount Hood Wilderness proposal for six years. “I’m convinced that if Tom Coburn could see how breathtaking Mount Hood is, he would want to protect it too.”

Wilderness protection for Mount Hood is supported by Oregonians with varying political stripes and from all across the state. The entire Oregon congressional delegation agrees that more of Mount Hood should be protected. Oregon lags far behind its neighbors in protecting land as Wilderness. While California has protected 14% of the state as Wilderness, and Washington 10%, Oregon has only protected 3.7% of our great state.

The invitation letter points to the fact that protections for public land preserve opportunities for fishing, hunting, camping, rafting and other outdoor recreation activities. Oregon has become a national center for these activities, attracting outdoor-oriented businesses and tourists who come to enjoy the pristine lands the state has to offer.

“Tom Coburn may have concerns about providing protections for Oregon’s treasures,” said Jeff Kohnstamm, operator of National Historic Landmark, Timberline Lodge. “I’m concerned with what happens if we don’t protect the legacy of Mount Hood.”

Many local businesses rely on the wild areas surrounding Mount Hood for the health of their companies. “People don't ride our railroad to come see clear-cuts, they ride it for the wilderness views,” said Jack Mills, owner of Mount Hood Railroad, provider of scenic rail tours of the Hood River Valley for the past 100 years.

In the letter, the group invites Senator Coburn to “see the mountain in all its glory…from the quiet north side to the scenic south side.” Recently, Senators Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith went to the floor of the U.S. Senate in an attempt to convince their colleague of the importance of passing Wilderness protections for Mount Hood. Senator Coburn has placed a personal hold on the Mount Hood bill and others, a tactic that is rarely used in the Senate when a bill is so uncontroversial.

“There are probably thousands of people in Sandy alone that would be willing to take Tom Coburn on a tour of Mount Hood,” said Sandy Mayor Linda Malone. “It’s hard to believe that he could maintain his hold if he truly knew what was at stake.”

Click here to see the invitation letter to Senator Tom Coburn.

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