House Approves Wilderness Bill, Goes To White House

Some four years after Congressmen Blumenauer and Walden announced a plan to expand wilderness protection for Mt. Hood, the bill has finally won congressional approval.

Moments ago, the House voted to pass the new Wilderness Bill, sending it to President Obama for his signature.

The final version is far different from what the two Representatives proposed after backpacking together around Mt. Hood in 2005.  It’s grown to include more wilderness protection in the Mt. Hood National Forest and four other areas in Oregon were added.  All of Oregon’s Representatives voted in favor.

Here’s how it affects the state.

• Mt. Hood: The bill adds 128,000 acres of wilderness and 80 miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers
• Badlands: Creates a 30,000 acre wilderness in the Badlands area near Bend.
• Copper Salmon: Protects nearly 14,000 acres of old growth forests and adds more than nine miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers in Curry County.
• Soda Mountain: Protects 23,000 acres of in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument by banning cattle grazing.
• Spring Basin: Adds 8,600 acres of wilderness to an area near the John Day Wild and Scenic River.

If signed into law, about 4% of Oregon will be protected as Wilderness areas.