U.S. Wilderness Bill Moves Forward
Two Million Acres Set to be Protected in Nine U.S. States
Jan 16, 2009
The town of Sandy, Ore. calls itself the "Gateway to Mount Hood." The historic timber town lies at the base of Oregon's highest mountain giving recreationalists driving through this community a grand view of it. For 24 years, the town's mayor Linda Malone has lived in Sandy. She knows the value of the snowcapped mountain. That's why she's thrilled that the largest wilderness bill in 25 years could soon bring further protection to Mt. Hood. "I think it's a thing we need to protect for the whole nation."
Malone is talking about the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (S.22), which finally passed the U.S. Senate in January. Nine states including Idaho, Utah, California and Oregon, would have lands designated as wilderness.
Protecting a Town's Water Supply
The legislation would designate nearly 127,000 acres of land around Mount Hood as wilderness. Already 187,000 acres in the Mt. Hood area have wilderness protection. Malone says the protection would mean the town's water supply, which is found near Mt. Hood, would be preserved under the designation. "Sandy's evolved. It's no longer a mill town and I think the majority of the citizens of Sandy know how important the water source is."
Democratic Senator, Ron Wyden of Oregon has worked on this legislation for years. In a press release from his office, Wyden said "Mount Hood isn't just a symbol of Oregon, it's a monument to the deep connection Oregonians have to their land." He went on to say that the bill is a "triumph of environmental protection that wouldn't have been possible without the input of constituents, community groups, and elected leaders who cared enough to keep fighting for it."
Wilderness 101
In 1964, Congress passed the Wilderness Act which outlines the criteria for deciding whether land should be given wilderness protection. It's something Congress can only approve. And it takes something pretty special for land to qualify as wilderness. It has to be nearly pristine, which means no roads, no logging clear cuts and no buildings. Think of these wild places as areas untouched by humankind. You can still recreate in a designated wilderness area but you can't bring anything mechanized in, like a mountain bike or a chain saw.
Designating Wilderness Takes Political Savvy
"Everybody likes the idea of wilderness but not everybody has the exact definition of what this means," explained Erik Fernandez. He's with the conservation group Oregon Wild and has worked closely on the Omnibus Public Lands Bill. With different groups wanting to protect their interests, it can be tough to get everyone to agree on wilderness legislation. That's, in part, why it can take a long time for wilderness designations to happen. Fernandez said over the past five years, different versions of this bill have been debated. The U.S. Senate stalled this latest version for more than a year and a half ago before finally passing it early this year. "Even the timber industry hasn't blasted it (the legislation)," said Fernandez. "Who doesn't want to be associated with not protecting Mt. Hood?"
Wilderness Bill isn't a Done Deal
The Public Lands Bill now waits for a vote from the U.S. House where political watchers say there's near unanimous support for the legislation.
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