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Local community, mountain bikers,
environmental groups
supportive of Wyden wilderness bill
Witnesses at Senate hearing laud legislation,
promise cooperation on
Lewis and Clark Mount Hood proposal
September 14, 2004
Washington, DC – At a U.S. Senate hearing
today, witnesses from the Mount Hood area, mountain biking organizations,
and environmental groups expressed support for the Lewis and Clark
Mount Hood Wilderness Act of 2004 (S. 2723), introduced by U.S.
Senator Ron Wyden in July. The hearing in the Subcommittee on
Public Lands and Forests, on which Wyden is the top-ranked Democrat,
began the Senate’s formal review of the wilderness bill.
Wyden introduced the wilderness bill following several public
forums and months of public review and discussion of his original
proposal to designate additional wilderness in the Columbia River
Gorge and in areas surrounding Mount Hood, as well as to designate
several river segments under the Wild and Scenic River System.
The Wyden legislation also includes the Mount Hood Pedaler’s
Demonstration Experiment (Hood-PDX), a 13,000-acre area to receive
protection similar to wilderness, but with a required report to
Congress as to the environmental and economic effects of the project
so that the area’s future may be determined.
“I can see no better way
to mark the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition than
to enact a new Oregon Wilderness bill including vistas as Lewis
and Clark would have seen them,” said Wyden. “We can
give no greater gift to our children and our grandchildren than
to protect the Columbia Gorge Scenic Area and Mount Hood from
clearcuts and over-development.”
A number of witnesses at the
hearing hailed the Wyden legislation and reiterated their willingness
to work together for additional improvements.
Sandy, Oregon is known as the
“Gateway to Mount Hood” and its mayor, Linda Malone,
testified at today’s hearing, stating, “At the end
of the day we won’t regret doing too much to protect this
valuable resource but we can easily imagine regretting that we
didn’t do enough.”
“Protecting these lands
and the plant and animal communities that they shelter is not
just a good idea, it is a great one,” said Jay Ward, Conservation
Director for the Oregon Natural Resources Council. “And
by protecting those communities, you will enrich the living human
communities as well. That is why I believe the cities of Sandy
and Portland and over 50 businesses surrounding the mountain support
this legislation.”
Senators also heard particular
support for the Hood-PDX mountain biking demonstration project
in the Wyden bill.
“IMBA (the International
Mountain Bicycling Association) believes that the proposed Mount
Hood Pedaler’s Demonstration Experiment Area is a positive
step forward in public land policy regarding Wilderness as it
protects the land while allowing bicycling,” said IMBA board
member Chris DiStefano. “In the 1980’s land managers
became concerned about the growing popularity of bicycles on trails
and chose a simple but excessive solution - banning bikes. Congress
can overcome this misguided conflict by supporting the approach
outlined in the proposed Mount Hood Wilderness bill.”
“We realize that the wilderness
designation does limit some recreational activities. I would like
to commend Senator Wyden for recognizing this, and working to
include designated areas for mountain bike use,” Malone
said. “Common sense should be applied to the implementation
of protective measures.”
Wyden indicated again his willingness
to work with all stakeholders to refine the legislation and see
it passed into law.
“While I understand different
groups and people have issues on the thinning title, on the mountain
biking title, and other areas of the bill as it is currently drafted,
I want to work through these issues and get a bill to the President’s
desk,” said Wyden. “I remain committed to working
with the stakeholders and my colleagues to get a bill that is
as close to perfect as possible.”
The legislation already includes
several improvements over the original proposal, attributable
to the extensive public input Wyden gathered during general public
meetings in Southwest Portland and in Hood River. These changes
include:
Additional wilderness
Through public testimony and comments, a large number of people
asked that areas around Roaring River be added to the wilderness
proposal. The bill includes this area as part of the Salmon-Huckleberry
Wilderness additions (see below).
Mountain biking pilot
project and more trails
Because of Oregon’s increasing popularity with mountain
bikers, a number of biking enthusiasts expressed concern that
their recreation opportunities would be curtailed through a wilderness
designation. The pilot would run for 10 years, during which time
Congress could make the designation permanent. The pilot will
apply to approx. 13,131 acres around Shellrock Mountain, Hell
Roaring Creek and Fifteenmile Creek. Additionally, the new bill
made boundary adjustments requested by the mountain biking community
to keep approx. 144 miles of trails open in the Mount Hood National
Forest.
Fire safe community
zones
Several comments from people living in towns on the mountain and
in the gorge expressed concern about fire protection for their
communities. As a result, the bill adds a buffer zone so that
communities like Cascade Locks and Government Camp can take steps
to protect themselves from forest fires.
Mount Hood National
Forest thinning
Due to concerns about forest health and commercial logging, the
bill includes protections for old growth trees, which are the
most resistant to fire and disease, while directing the Forest
Service to aggressively thin the over-crowded, plantation second-growth
areas. The bill specifically authorizes funding for this activity
and includes an explicit preference for local contractors from
Clackamas, Hood River and Wasco counties.
Mount Hood National
Forest Southside Winter Recreation Area
The bill recognizes the key need for developed recreation, like
skiing, on Mount Hood by encompassing those areas on the south
side that have been developed for commercial recreation in a designated
Mount Hood National Forest Southside Winter Recreation Area. In
addition, the bill includes a “fee-retention” provision
that will bring permit fees back to the mountain to help fund
recreation-related Forest Service management.
National Commission
on Urban Forests
Recognizing the unique circumstances faced by urban forests (those
within 50 miles of one million or more people), the bill creates
a commission to study urban forests’ unique challenges and
report to Congress with recommendations for future management
practices.
The wilderness areas included
in the legislation are:
• Mount Hood Wilderness additions (now approx. 56,515
acres)
These additions include very popular recreation areas; large cathedral
old growth forests; scenic viewsheds; the oldest alpine structure
in the U.S.; important habitat for deer and elk; historic lava
beds; and a critical watershed for The Dalles. Included are the
historic Tilly Jane trail, Lost Lake, and Mill Creek Buttes, the
historic Barlow Pass and Bonney Butte, Twin Lakes, and the Lower
White River.
• Mark O. Hatfield
Wilderness additions (now approx. 34,650 acres)
These additions include a viewshed of the Columbia Gorge; recreation
areas; waterfalls (including the headwaters of Multnomah Falls);
and wildlife habitat. McCall Point, renowned for unique species
of wildflowers, is included.
• Badger Creek
Wilderness additions (now approx. 17, 410 acres)
These additions include the important transition zone between
east and west side ecosystems, including old growth ponderosa
pine, Douglas fir and western larch; key habitat for cutthroat
trout and other wildlife; and popular recreation areas (particularly
elk and deer hunting). Included are Lower Badger Creek/Jordan
Creek, and Boulder Lake.
• Salmon-Huckleberry
Wilderness additions (now approx. 69,226 acres)
These additions include popular recreation areas, a watershed
for the City of Sandy; diverse wildlife; and viewsheds from many
popular ski areas. Included are Alder Creek, Salmon River Meadows,
Eagle Creek, Mirror Lake and Abbot Burn/Upper Salmon River Meadows.
This area now also includes 36,000 acres of wilderness around
Roaring River, which is a prized back country destination for
hiking, camping, hunting, and fishing and includes habitat for
bald eagle, osprey, pileated woodpecker, badger, fisher and mink,
and winter range habitat for Roosevelt elk and black tailed deer.
The river is home to coho salmon, spring chinook salmon, winter
and summer steelhead, resident cutthroat trout, and coastal rainbow
trout.
The river stretches proposed
for addition to the National Wild and Scenic River System include
four previously proposed, plus Fifteenmile Creek:
• East Fork Hood
River (14.9 miles)
This stretch contains highly scenic and picturesque views; popular
trails to waterfalls; and steelhead and coho salmon habitat.
• Middle Fork
Hood River (4.7 miles)
This stretch contains one of a kind lava flows with unique vegetation;
salmon, steelhead and bull trout habitat; and high quality riparian
areas.
• Zigzag River
(9 miles)
This stretch includes the historic Barlow Road and 1930s CCC campgrounds
and structures; habitat for spring chinook, coho salmon, summer
and winter steelhead and resident cutthroat trout.
• Eagle Creek
(8.3 miles)
This stretch includes prime and diverse habitat for numerous species
of fish and wildlife (including resident cutthroat and rainbow
trout); popular areas for dispersed camping and hiking; and pristine
water quality.
• Fifteenmile
Creek (11 miles)
This stretch includes old growth ponderosa pine forests, the easternmost
stock of wild winter steelhead in the Columbia River basin, and
habitat for diverse bird species, including bald eagles.
The Lewis and Clark Mount Hood
Wilderness Act of 2004 now awaits a vote by the full Senate Committee
on Energy and Natural Resources, of which Wyden is a member.
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