FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Protections for Primeval Coastal Forest, Wild and Scenic River Presented at Congressional Hearing

U.S. House of Representatives committee looks to safeguard two Oregon gems

Oregon Wild press release regarding subcommittee hearing in the House for Devil's Staircase Wilderness and Wild and Scenic River protections for the Molalla River.

Legislation to protect the mythical Devil’s Staircase waterfall and the clean, rushing water of the Molalla River moved one step closer to being finalized by Congress today with a hearing. The bills, sponsored by Rep. Peter DeFazio, Rep. Kurt Schrader, Rep. Earl Blumenauer, and Rep. David Wu, would protect the Devil’s Staircase as Wilderness and safeguard the Molalla as a Wild & Scenic River and have the backing of dozens of community groups, conservation organizations, and local businesses.

“It’s great to see that Representative DeFazio and Representative Schrader understand that our state needs to do a better job at protecting our natural treasures,” said Erik Fernandez with the conservation group Oregon Wild. Fernandez also noted that only 4% of Oregon is protected as Wilderness, while neighbors Idaho (8%), Washington (11%), and California (15%) have protected far more.

In testimony before the House subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands the US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management gave their support for protection of Devil’s Staircase and the Molalla River.

Slated for the gold standard of public lands protection is the Devil’s Staircase Wilderness, located west of Eugene in the Wasson Creek area of the Coast Range. The 29,600-acre proposal features rugged mountains blanketed with some of the last old-growth remaining in the Coast Range, providing prime habitat for dozens of unique 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 area has received ever-increasing attention since Rep. DeFazio ventured on what he described as “the hardest hike of my life,” to the Devil’s Staircase waterfall. Local groups have led dozens of hikes to explore the natural beauty of the area.

“The Devil’s Staircase is such a unique place,” said Chandra LeGue, and Oregon Wild staffer who has led several hikes to the proposed Wilderness. “You get a few hundred yards into these forests and you can see the awe on people’s faces. There just isn’t a lot of forest like this left in the Coast Range. That’s why protecting it is so important.”

Located southeast of Portland, the Molalla River has long provided clean drinking water for the cities of Canby and Molalla. The Wild & Scenic River proposal in the legislation heard today would protect about 21 miles of the Molalla River. A Wild & Scenic River designation would ensure future generations could enjoy the clean drinking water, prime fishing, and other traditional recreation opportunities that the river provides.

“The effort to protect the Molalla has been a locally-driven process,” added Fernandez. “People here know how important this river is to their community, and they need Congress to ensure it is protected for the next generation.”

Today’s hearing marks an important step forward in the legislative process. In the coming weeks and months, the bill will be heard in Senate subcommittee and then ultimately be moved to the floor of each Congressional chamber for a vote. Given the broad support for both measures, final passage should move through Congress with relative speed.

The efficient timeline would be a welcome shift from recent efforts to protect Oregon’s wild rivers and pristine forests. In March of 2009, Congress finally passed the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009—a bill that included long-sought protections for Mount Hood, the Columbia River Gorge, Soda Mountain, Copper Salmon, and the Badlands Wilderness. Many of the campaigns to protect these areas stretched across a decade or more.
 
“Given the current state of wildlands protection in Oregon, we really can’t afford to take five years to get these bills passed,” summed up Fernandez. “These protections should pass quickly so that we can start correcting the imbalance of unprotected Wilderness in Oregon.”

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