Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Senators seek more Oregon wilderness


U.S. Reps. Greg Walden, R-Ore., right, and Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., stop  on a hike near Oregon's Mount Hood  in  2005. Their congressional colleagues, Sens. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore.,  have introduced a bill to expand the  wilderness area.  
 (File Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
William McCall Associated Press

PORTLAND – A bill to expand the Mount Hood wilderness area by more than 128,000 acres was introduced Wednesday in the Senate in a bipartisan push to get it approved before the end of the year.

Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., joined his colleague, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., to propose legislation that will increase existing wilderness protection by nearly 70 percent around the tallest mountain in Oregon and the nearby Columbia River Gorge.

The bill also would extend federal wild and scenic river protection to another 80 miles of rivers. And it would set aside more than 18,000 acres for a Mount Hood National Recreation Area, improving access for mountain biking and other recreation.

“We are keeping our promise to Oregonians and answering their calls for more protection for Mount Hood and the Gorge,” Wyden said in a joint statement released with the bill.

Smith and Wyden both said they will work with the Oregon delegation to the House to get the bill to President Bush before the end of the year. The House approved a bill earlier that expanded the protection to 77,000 acres.

But Wyden and conservation groups have strongly praised Smith for building bipartisan support to expand the House bill and extend the wilderness protection to 128,000 acres – or 200 square miles.

“I think that Sen. Smith deserves a lot of credit,” said Steve Pedery, spokesman for the Oregon Natural Resources Council.

U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, the lone Republican in the House delegation, also will help push the latest proposal through the Republican-controlled Congress. The main concern is whether the House will sign off on the Senate version in time, Pedery said.

But the bipartisan effort, along with overwhelming support among voters and conservation groups, create a good chance for success. And the lame duck session of Congress following the November mid-term election will provide extra time for passage, Pedery said.

“When you have both Republicans from Oregon saying we need more wilderness, it’s hard to say no,” Pedery said.