Cathedral Rock along the John Day River. Photo from the National Park Service.
Oregon’s Senators are introducing a bill that would protect another 16,000 acres of wilderness in Oregon.
Called the “Cathedral Rock and Horse Heaven Wilderness Act of 2010″, the bill arranges a land swap between private landowners and the Bureau of Land Management. The result is two large continuous tracts of land that can be preserved as wilderness.
In a joint statement, Senators Wyden and Merkley say they hope to build on the 200,000 acres of Oregon wilderness that were protected by Congress last year.
The swap involves three private landowners, including the Christian youth group Young Life. The group operates the Washington Family Ranch near Antelope, Oregon and includes property that once belonged to the followers of Baghwan Shree Rajneesh.
The proposed Cathedral Rock Wilderness Area is on the west side of the wild and scenic John Day River, across from the Spring Basin Wilderness.
