New Hope for New Wilderness on Mt. Hood
Friday, February 16, 2007
Mt. Hood may get some important new federal wilderness protection this year. Although they hail from different political parties, Oregon Senators Ron Wyden, a Democrat, and Gordon Smith, a Republican, have joined forces to introduce the "Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness Act."
It would permanently protect much of the remaining wildlands and rivers on Mt. Hood and in the Columbia River Gorge. Erik Fernandez with the conservation group Oregon Wild says it's a proposal that Oregon's congressional delegation has been hammering out for more than three years, and it stands a good chance of passage.
"They have a pretty good idea of what everybody wanted, and I think they've found the balance. I think with a much more conservation-minded Congress, protecting places like Roaring River and Boulder Lake will be a lot easier than in years past."
The legislation would protect about 128,000 wilderness acres and 81 miles of wild and scenic rivers. Separately, the U.S. House and Senate passed bills last session that would have expanded the Mt. Hood Wilderness, but a compromise was never reached. Fernandez says the new Act represents three years of hearings and compromises, and has strong public support.
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