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| Congressman Walden (right) is joined by fellow Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Portland) for a 4-day, 41-mile hike circumnavigating Mt. Hood to gather more information and continue their cooperative efforts to develop a management plan for the Mountain, one of Oregon's most prized treasures. |
THE MT. HOOD STEWARDSHIP LEGACY ACT
Introduced by Congressmen Greg Walden and Earl Blumenauer
Mt. Hood is a diverse and wonderful Oregon treasure providing drinking water, recreation, scenic beauty and timber for millions of people annually. But we are in danger of loving the mountain to death. Creating a long-term stewardship plan for the mountain will enable us to continue enjoying its many offerings today while establishing a legacy that will allow future generations to do the same.
Congressman Walden has been working closely for more than three years with fellow Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Portland) to craft such a plan and they have recently unveiled the Mt. Hood Stewardship Legacy Act, bipartisan legislation with strong support from their follow Oregon representatives, developed in collaboration with many local residents, experts and stakeholders. This bill culminates the pair's three-year effort of listening and learning about the demands on the mountain and the needs and ways to protect it for the future. It is a proposal that would improve transportation, recreation and forest health while enhancing and protecting water quality and wilderness values.
In December, Walden and Blumenauer held two summits titled "A Legacy for Mt. Hood" (one in Portland and one in Hood River) to share their ideas with the public. The December 2005 summits came on the heels of the August 2005 hike both men took around the mountain - spending 4 days hiking 41 miles circumnavigating the mountain on the Timberline Trail - during which they met with a variety of stakeholders and experts in fields ranging from botany and hydrology to geology and biology. They also met with tribal representatives, recreation organizations and wilderness experts on the many diverse uses on Mt. Hood.
Prior to the hike, Walden and Blumenauer held a series of round table discussions in July to meet with stakeholders as well. In August 2003, the pair held a public summit titled "Mt. Hood: A View from the Summit" and one in August 2004 titled "Mt. Hood: A Vision for the Future." Throughout their summits, hundreds of individuals have been able to hear and express opinions on the future of Mt. Hood.
SUPPORT FOR THE MT. HOOD STEWARDSHIP LEGACY ACT:
- Established in 1908 as the Oregon National Forest (renamed Mt. Hood National Forest in 1919)
- 4 million people visit Mt. Hood every year
- Over 1 million people receive their drinking water from Mt. Hood
- The total forest acreage is 1.1 million with 17% designated as Wilderness
- Mt. Hood is the highest mountain in Oregon with a peak at 11,240 feet
- The American Indian name for Mt. Hood is Wy’East
- Mt. Hood has 812 miles of recreational trails
- 268 wildlife species reside in Mt. Hood with 7 that are endangered
AN OVERVIEW OF THE MT. HOOD STEWARDSHIP LEGACY ACT:
Wilderness/Wild and Scenic Rivers – The legislation adds approximately 77,216 acres of Wilderness, a 41% increase of designated Wilderness on Mt. Hood – the second largest increase in wilderness in the forest's history and the first new wilderness on the mountain in 22 years. It also adds an estimated 25 miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers, a 20% increase to Mt. Hood’s Wild and Scenic Rivers network. These designations do not reduce the amount of land designated for timber production where timber harvest is the management objective, nor do they deliberately incorporate private inholdings, impact infrastructure or conflict with high use recreational areas.
“The Campaign for America’s Wilderness supports the wilderness components of the Mt. Hood legislation Congressmen Walden and Blumenauer have announced today. This new legislation represents an historic step forward, not only for Oregonians, but all Americans who have a stake in our precious national forests. If we are successful with this effort, it will be the fourth time that Oregon’s congressional leaders have sent a Mount Hood National Forest wilderness bill to the President’s desk since the landmark Wilderness Act passed in 1964.” Ken Rait – Campaigns Director, Campaign for America’s Wilderness
Recreation - Recreation is a dynamic social and economic component of Mt. Hood’s legacy. Existing development footprints are the best places to enhance recreational opportunities and maximize future potential. To improve existing opportunities and develop new trails and infrastructure, the legislation creates a demonstration program that would enable the Mt. Hood National Forest to retain unobligated special use permit fees and rents collected on the mountain to enhance recreation (an annual average of approximately $750,000). A Recreational Working Group, comprised of local stakeholders, is established to advise the Forest Service on planning for future recreation enhancements and dispersal of retained funds. In addition, the bill directs the Forest Service to consider, where appropriate Forest Service roads slated for closure or decommissioning could be adapted for other recreational opportunities. Lastly, the Forest Service may work with partner organizations to design and construct a trail suitable for use by persons with disabilities.
Transportation - The transportation network that brings people to and from Mt. Hood and safely transports people from place-to-place on the mountain is stressed. Our proposal would direct the Forest Service to work with the State of Oregon to develop an integrated, multi-modal transportation plan for the Mt. Hood region to enhance existing transportation plans, prioritize projects, and identify revenue sources. A key focus would be identifying transportation alternatives, including potential gondola connections, and creating a transportation center to move more people, but in fewer cars, to and from key recreation destinations.
Forest Stewardship and Watershed Health - The health of trees and watersheds in the Mt. Hood National Forest varies with geography, elevation, and climate. It is essential that local partners and the Forest Service manage these areas in a transparent and open manner that is in the public interest and builds long term trust. This legislation requires the Forest Service, with public involvement, to develop a 10-year Forest Stewardship Assessment using existing authorities, to promote forested landscapes resilient to catastrophic fire, insects and disease, protect homes and communities from property damage and threats to public safety, and protect and enhance existing community or municipal watersheds. Furthermore, the bill encourages municipalities and irrigators to enter cooperative agreements with the Forest Service that outline stewardship goals to manage their watersheds for water quantity and quality. Lastly, the Forest Service is directed to conduct a sustainable biomass study to assess the amount of woody debris available on the forest for biomass energy generation.
“The American Forest Resource Council, which represents nearly 90 forest products companies throughout the western United States applauds Congressmen Greg Walden and Earl Blumenauer for the process they undertook to review the needs of the Mt. Hood National Forest…Walden and Blumenauer should be congratulated for taking the time to view conditions on the ground before drawing management lines on a map.” Tom Partin – President, AFRC
Crystal Springs Watershed Management Unit- The bill establishes a special resources management unit for the Crystal Springs Watershed to ensure protection of water quality and quantity. The Crystal Springs Watershed serves residential citizens, communities, irrigation districts, and diverse ecosystems on the north side of Mount Hood with clean water.
Local and Tribal Relationships – This legislation places the utmost importance of upholding the rights of Native Americans to gather huckleberries and other First Foods in their accustomed manner. It directs the Forest Service to partner with Native American Tribes to develop and manage priority-use areas for the gathering of first foods to ensure healthy stands of huckleberries and other traditional plant species. In addition, the bill encourages coordination between the Forest Service and local governments and that requires new development on lands within the Forest to be constructed in compliance with one of the nationally recognized building codes or wildland-urban interface codes.
“In our view, this legislation was the result of a model consultation process in which Rep. Walden and Rep. Blumenauer exemplified the best of the Federal-Tribal trust responsibility by working directly with Warm Springs in developing specific language addressing Treaty Indian gathering of huckleberries and other traditional foods and accommodating of need for tribal members to have privacy and solitude when carrying out traditional religious and cultural activities within Mt. Hood National Forest.” Ron Suppah – Chairman, Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs
“I am pleased to see us making progress towards permanent protection for the historic backcountry on the North side of Mt. Hood at Cooper Spur, and applaud the Congressmen for their hard work. Oregonians overwhelmingly support protecting lands on Mt. Hood as Wilderness for this and future generations…Now we turn to work with the rest of Oregon’s delegation to bridge the gap and take decisive action to protect the forests and watershed all around the mountain.” Mike McCarthy – Member, Hood River Valley Residents Committee
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