Senate Passes Bill to Protect Oregon Wilderness
The US Senate approved the highest possible protections today for areas surrounding Mount Hood, passing a package of Wilderness bills by a vote of 73 to 21. Senator Ron Wyden and Senator Jeff Merkley ushered in the 111th Congress by bringing home protection for two state icons, Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge. The Public Lands Omnibus Bill (S.22) would also protect critical wildlife habitat in the Soda Mountain Wilderness, Copper Salmon Wilderness, Spring Basin Wilderness and Badlands Wilderness. The bill now moves on to the House of Representatives where its passage is expected.
The legislation introduced today would protect 202,000 acres in Oregon as Wilderness. Currently only 3.7% of Oregon is protected as Wilderness compared to 14% in California, 11% in Washington and 7.5% in Idaho. New Wilderness designations around Mount Hood and in the Columbia Gorge would safeguard some of the region’s last old-growth forests and pristine watersheds from logging and development, while also ensuring future generations can continue to enjoy these areas through activities like hiking, camping, fishing, and boating.
Among the protected areas is Bonney Butte, home to the largest known fall concentration of migrating raptors in Oregon, and an Important Bird Area.
In addition to the Oregon provisions, the bill designates more than 2 million acres of wilderness in nine states. It also creates three new national parks, more than 1,000 miles of wild and scenic rivers (including 70 miles in Oregon), and three new national conservation areas.
For more information, visit OregonWild.org
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