Wilderness
Senator Wyden is proud to have introduced the Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness Act of 2007, which will permanently protect nearly 125,000 acres of wilderness on Mount Hood and in the Columbia River Gorge. The bill would also grant Wild and Scenic River protections to more than 80 additional miles of rivers in Oregon. This proposal, which was recently approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, represents an increase of almost 70 percent over existing wilderness protections and a 65 percent increase to the Wild and Scenic Rivers network on Mount Hood. Proposed wilderness additions in the bill include cathedral old growth forests, historic lava beds, prime habitat for salmon and steelhead and popular recreational destinations such as Mirror Lake and Roaring River. The bill also includes protections for almost 35,000 acres of National Recreation Areas.
Senator Wyden has previously cosponsored other wilderness legislation pertaining to land both in and out of Oregon. He introduced legislation with Senator Smith to create the Soda Mountain Wilderness in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.
In the 109th Congress, he was also an original cosponsor of the following legislation:
- The Artic National Wildlife Refuge Bill, S. 261, which designated a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) as wilderness;
- The America's Red Rock Wilderness Act of 2005, S. 882, which designated certain Federal land in the State of Utah as wilderness; and
- The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument Voluntary and Equitable Grazing Conflict Resolution Act, S. 3858, which would authorize the Secretary of Interior to cancel certain grazing leases on land in Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument and would designate certain Monument land as wilderness.
Latest
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***Webcast Available*** Wyden to Chair Hearing on Bill to Preserve Rogue River as Wild and Scenic Waterway
Continuing work to preserve Oregon’s natural beauty for future generations, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) will chair a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests discussing Wyden’s...…Read More
Posted on 03/22/12 | -
Wyden Statement on USDA Announcement of a New Forest Planning Rule
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) issued the following statement in response to the Forest Service’s announcement that the Department of Agriculture will issue a new planning rule to govern how the Forest Service develops its forest plans:
Posted on 01/26/12Read More -
Wyden and Merkley Introduce Bill to Protect 60K acres around Rogue River
Continuing their efforts to preserve and protect Oregon’s most wild and environmentally important areas, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) have introduced legislation that will add 60,000 acres of new wilderness to the existing Wil...…Read More
Posted on 12/15/11 | -
Wyden/Merkley Devil’s Staircase and Oregon Caves Bills Passed by Energy and Natural Resources Committee
Efforts to preserve some of Oregon’s most pristine and valued natural resources moved closer to success today as two bills protecting Oregon’s Devil’s Staircase and Oregon Caves cleared the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Sponsor...…Read More
Posted on 11/10/11 -
Wyden to Chair Hearing on Eastside Forest Legislation; Four Other Oregon Public Lands Bills
Today, Wednesday May 18, 2011 at 2:30 p.m. EDT (11:30 a.m. PDT) U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) will chair a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee’s Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests to discuss twenty public lands bills includ...…Read More
Posted on 05/18/11 | -
More than 17,000 Acres of Wilderness to Be Preserved by Wyden, Merkley Land Swap Bill
In an effort to preserve more than 17,000 acres of Oregon land as Wilderness, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) have reintroduced the Cathedral Rock and Horse Heaven Wilderness Act of 2011 that will swap public land with private landholders, in o...…Read More
Posted on 03/17/11 | -
Wyden, Merkley Reintroduce Bills to Transfer Federal Property to La Pine and Wallowa
Continuing to look for ways to help two of Oregon’s hardest hit areas grow their economies, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) reintroduced two bills today that will allow La Pine and Wallowa to have access to hundreds of acres of f...…Read More
Posted on 02/03/11 |