UPDATE 3.30.09 - At 12:00 pm PST, President Barack Obama signed the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act (HR 146) into law, marking the final step for expanded Wilderness protections in Oregon. The legislation protects Wilderness for Mount Hood, Copper Salmon, Soda Mountain, Spring Basin and Badlands. Mount Hood proposal overview map(pdf).  Previous updates.

Mount Hood and the Columbia Gorge symbolize the natural beauty of Oregon, yet much of these amazing landscapes remain unprotected. The mountain's high-elevation snowfields have received Wilderness designation, but the more biologically diverse lower flanks and surrounding ridges remain unprotected. Through cutting-edge technology and the efforts of more than 500 volunteers, Oregon Wild has identified unprotected natural areas in the Mount Hood National Forest over the past decade and sought federal Wilderness designation to preserve them.

In January 2009, Oregon Senators Ron Wyden (D) and Jeff Merkley (D) introduced legislation that would give wilderness protection to 127,000 acres and designate 80 miles of rivers around Mount Hood and in the Columbia Gorge as Wild and Scenic Rivers.

The compromise plan includes the scenic canyons along White River, the biologically diverse forests of Fifteenmile Creek, the old-growth forest surrounding Roaring River and the beautiful whitewater of the East Fork of the Hood River.

The Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness is an important step toward preserving the scenic beauty, biodiversity, clean drinking water and unparalleled recreational opportunities for future generations of Oregonians.

Mount Hood Wilderness Fact Sheets and Maps:

• Final Wilderness Proposal map 3.24.09 (pdf)

• Detailed maps of areas covered by the Mount Hood Wilderness Act
  
• Fifteenmile Creek Fact Sheet (pdf, 400Kb)
• Memaloose Lake Fact Sheet (pdf, 480Kb)
• Salmon River Meadows Fact Sheet (pdf, 360Kb)
• Twin Lakes Fact Sheet (pdf, 90Kb)
• Wild and Scenic Rivers Fact Sheet (pdf, 90Kb)
• Endorsing Businesses
• Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness 2007 bill text (pdf, 150K)
• Map of the Mount Hood National Forest Roads
  

For more information contact:

5825 North Greeley, Portland OR 97217

P: 503.283.6343 ext. 202 F: 503.283.0756

_{Photo: Cooper Spur by John Waller. Map produced by Oregon Wild.}