POLICY SUMMARY:
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Madrone Wall, Clackamas County, Oregon
FEDERATION OF WESTERN OUTDOOR CLUBS
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General
The National Landscape Conservation System of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is valuable and should be retained. Under its heading the BLM manages specially protected areas such as national monuments, wilderness areas, wilderness study areas, wild and scenic rivers, and historic trails. This system should not be dismantled. [Res. 9, 2002] Congress should enact legislation providing a statutory basis for this system (S. 1139 and H.R. 2016 in 2007). [Res. 14, 2007]
All major ecological regions ought to be represented within the National Park System or be protected through protection of equivalent quality. Either new units ought to be established where there are gaps in coverage, or existing units should be expanded so that sufficiently large areas in each region are protected. Where necessary, degraded areas should be restored, though in a manner that is consistent with the Wilderness Act where it applies. [Res. 10, 2006]
Funding ought to be available annually from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund at the full level authorized, which is $900 million annually, so that more money will be available to acquire lands for national parks, national forests, and wilderness areas. [Res. 2, 1995] [Also see Res. 19, 1996 and Res. 19, 1999] Expenditure at that annual level ought to be required; that money ought not to be available for any other purpose; the backlog of unappropriated funds should be only be available for the purposes of the Land and Water Conservation fund (approximately $5 billion). [Res. 16, 1998]
Donations to the National Park Foundation are needed to supplement Congressional appropriations to help keep parks open, to maintain trails, restore historic sites, and train employees. Also important is the time and labor that volunteers contribute. [Res. 14, 1995]
Urban parks with open space ought to be kept free from inappropriate development, such as golf courses, convention centers, sewage treatment plants, gambling establishments, etc. Open spaces needs to be kept open--as green places of quiet and tranquility. [Res. 17, 1998]
Outfitters should be compelled to remove non-conforming facilities within federal wilderness areas, such as permanent camps, structures, caches, and piped water systems, which violate the Wilderness Act of 1964. [Res. 17, 1992]
However, fixed anchors for climbing ought to be allowed within established wilderness areas, study areas and national parks where climbers find them necessary, but not where removable protection can be used instead. To be safe, bolts installed on established routes must be maintained without, however, upgrading or augmenting them, nor should power drills be used (except with special permission where needed to replace old, unsafe bolts). New routes using bolts should only be established where officials, climbers and environmental constituents agree. Decisions on these matters need to be made on a site specific basis, with emphasis placed on educating climbers and conserving the alpine environment. Plans for given areas in these respects should be publicized and be open to public review. [Res. 4, 1994]
On the other hand, it is not appropriate to install permanent hardware for climbing within significant caves because of the potential for damage to the fragile ecology of these caves; moreover, the federal Cave Resources Protection Act of 1988 prohibits such impacts within "significant caves' on federal lands. [Res. 5, 1994]
Use of snowmobiles ought to be banned within all national parks, except when needed for rescue operations. [Res. 4, 2000]
All roadless areas within the national forests should be kept intact, with the construction of roads in them prohibited. These are potential wilderness areas, which help minimize damage to our environment and perpetuate critical habitats. [Res. 11, 1999]
The Roadless Conservation Policy published in the Federal Register on January 5, 2001 should stand and not be revisited, weakened, nor abandoned; public officials should instead defend it. Public support has been overwhelming. [Res. 5, 2001] Congress should enact legislation, such as H.R. 4865, to give statutory form and effect to this order. Steps to undermine this order by the Bush Administration should cease. [Res. 4, 2002] The Federation opposes the proposal made by the Secretary of Agriculture in July 2004 to abandon the rule except where governors petition to maintain the rule, and then the department would only consider keeping it in force. [Res. 1, 2004]
Legislation should be enacted to reinstate the Clinton roadless rule. Such legislation has been introduced in Congress (by Representatives Boehlert and Inslee, H.R. 3503) and is entitled the National Forest Roadless Conservation Act. [Res. 25, 2005]
Congress should not enact H.R. 4620 which would release Wilderness Study Areas whenever the Secretary of the department administering the area finds that the Study Area is not suitable for designation as wilderness. Since these areas have been temporarily reserved by Congress, it should make the decision on whether to release them. [Res. 7, 2002]
No ceiling should be established on how much wilderness can be designated on BLM lands by Congress. Under FLPMA the BLM has various authorities under which it can recommend land for wilderness, not just sec.603 (the inventory directive). Litigation should proceed to settle this question. [Res. 6, 2003]
Congress should not enact H.R. 1153 (Otter) which would drop interim protection for over eight million acres of BLM Wilderness Study Areas and keep Congress from over adding these areas to the National Wilderness Preservation System. This legislation would also drop interim protection for areas being studied by other federal agencies. [Res. 1, 2003]
"Quid pro quo" wilderness bills in western states often want to exact too high a price for designation of more wilderness. There should be a temporary moratorium on consideration of three bills, which in 2006, particularly pose problems of this sort. They are: the Central Idaho Economic Development and Recreation Act (H.R. 3603); the Washington County (Utah) Growth and Conservation Act (S. 3636); and the Owyhee (Idaho) Initiative Implementation Act (S. 3794). Among their harmful provisions: they would give away more than 75,000 acres of public land; more than 400,000 acres of wilderness study areas would be released; and a host of special provisions would authorize incompatible activities, including ATV use, creating legal rights for commercial outfitters, and eliminating water rights reserved for wildlife. [Res. 14, 2006]
Congress should put all rivers recommended by federal agencies for inclusion in the national system of wild and scenic rivers into that system, and governors should also act under authorization provided by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to protect rivers in their states that are free-flowing, with natural banks and riparian zones. [Res. 8, 2001].
The Antiquities Act, which Presidents have used to set aside new national monuments, should be kept in force and not be repealed nor weakened. Once a monument is set aside, its boundaries should only be revised in pursuance of the purposes for which it was established. No uses inconsistent with those purposes should be permitted. [Res. 9, 2001]
Federal reserves, such as national parks and wildlife refuges, should not be turned over to be managed by non-federal entities, such as Indian tribes and local government. Specifically, it opposes turning the National Bison Range in Montana over to tribal entities which are not staffed to handle the responsibility. The Federation opposes approaches to collaborative management that confer special privileges to any class of citizens in the management of public lands owned by all. It also opposes any divestiture of federal ownership of the public domain. [Res. 2, 2004]
Roads on public lands should have been "constructed and maintained' (under RS 2477 and FLPMA) to qualify as roads and thereby disqualify an area as a "roadless area." [Res. 30, 2001] Bogus efforts are being made to assert that abandoned routes, ORV paths, and livestock trails are roads, which should disqualify areas as roadless places. This obsolete provision should be repealed. [Res. 16, 2003] No concession to RS 2477 claims should be made in any law suit affecting any national park or any designated wilderness. [Res. 4, 2007]
Alaska
The integrity of the boundaries of Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska must be maintained, as well as restrictions on commercial fishing in its waters; those restrictions must be enforced, with adequate patrolling. [Res. 5, 1992]Large areas on both sides of the Bering Strait in Alaska and Siberia should be set aside as the Beringia World Park because of its exceptional value as habitat for millions of nesting waterfowl, sea mammals, polar bears, wolves, caribou, arctic fox and its unique flora. [Res. 30, 1991]
Arizona
Various existing public land reserves in southwest Arizona with unique scenic, wildlife and cultural values should be consolidated into a new Sonoran Desert National Park and Preserve to provide improved protection against pressures for adverse development. The reserves affected would be: the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, and the Barry M. Goldwater Range.California
Congress should reject provisions in the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act that would permit state law to be overridden to permit a toll-road to be built through San Onofre State Park in San Diego County, adversely affecting San Mateo Creek and other resources. The park is within the boundaries of Camp Pendleton. [Res. 8, 2007]Recreational hunting should be phased out on Santa Rosa Island, which is part of the Channel Islands National Park, and non-native deer and elk found there should also be removed as soon as legal conditions permit. Moreover, non-native plants and animals found anywhere within the Channel Islands National Park should be removed. [Res. 6, 2006]
Large areas of the Mojave Desert in California should be protected through various designations as national parks (three of them), wildlife refuges and wilderness. Areas of this fragile desert provide critical habitat for the desert tortoise. [Res. 3, 1992] The 1.5 million acre Mojave unit should be designated as a national park, not as a preserve (which would permit hunting). The California Desert Protection Act should be enacted. [Res. 15, 1994]
California should establish a new state park in Wildwood Canyon in the Yucapia-Oak Glen area in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Funds should be provided before development precludes acquisition of the 3500 acres needed for the park, and the San Bernardino National Forest should cooperate in facilitating land exchanges. Local communities affected should support the park's establishment. [Res. 13, 2004]
The Interior Department should study whether places exist to celebrate the life and work of Cesar Chavez and that might be designated as a National Historic Park, which would be part of the National Park System. [Res. 23, 2007]
A new omnibus wilderness bill for California proposed by the California Wild Heritage Campaign, which will soon be introduced by Senator Barbara Boxer, should be enacted as it will extend protection to areas left out of earlier enactments and extend protection to such spectacular areas as the White Mountains in eastern California (300,00 acres). This legislation should not include any special provisions or exceptions that weaken the kind of protection generally provided under the Wilderness Act. [Res. 13, 2001] S.2535 and its companion bills in the House would bring the 2.6 million acres in 76 places into the Wilderness System, including 500 linear miles into the wild and scenic river system. Special provisions that would allow activities not otherwise permitted in the system should be eliminated. This legislation, without these exceptions, should be enacted. [Res. 12, 2002]
Federal legislation should be enacted designating new wilderness in the Eastern Sierra, including adding 77,000 acres to the Hoover and Emigrant Basin wilderness areas, 15,000 acres to the Ansel Adams wilderness in the headwaters of the Owens River, 80,000 acres to the John Muir wilderness, and 224,000 acres in the White Mountains (both Forest Service and BLM lands) to wilderness there. Wilderness designations will help curb ORV use in these areas. Also the Amargosa and Owens rivers would be made wild and scenic rivers. Bipartisan sponsorship of this legislation should enhance its prospects. [Res. 17, 2008]
The various small dams once constructed on high lakes in the Emigrant Wilderness in California's Sierra Nevada range should not be reconstructed but allowed to naturally deteriorate or be breached manually. [Res. 2, 2003]
Another 115,000 acres of wilderness in Sequoia National Park should be added to the National Wilderness Preservation System, partly in the area upslope from the Mineral King part of the park and partly along front of the Sierra at lower elevations. However, provisions in the proposed legislation that would omit four lakes in the Mineral King portion and that would offer other exceptions should be dropped. [Res. 3, 2007] The areas to be added should include the Hockett Plateau, as well as the roadless areas around Mineral King. It would include one of the largest Giant Sequoia groves and would be called the John Krebs Wilderness, in honor of the former member of Congress who was instrumental in having the Mineral King area added to the park. [Res. 16, 2008]
Portions of the Sequoia National Forest supporting stands of Giant Sequoia trees and their environment should be included in a Sequoia National Monument. In such a monument, logging, road building and other development would not be allowed in old growth stands, nor in a unroaded areas. The aim would be to sustain forest ecosystems and maintain natural biodiversity through a change away from resource extraction. The natural range of the sequoia species should also be added to the World Heritage system. [Res. 27, 1990; also Res. 1, 1992] Alternatively, these stands and their environment should be protected in a National Forest Preserve, as proposed in H.R. 2153 (Rep. G. Brown, 1993), which would set aside 442,425 acres in a preserved where timbering would not be permitted, nor mining and extraction, but hunting and fishing would be, as well as use of existing roads by recreational vehicles. [Res. 17, 1993] In addition, this bill would protect 170,000 acres as wilderness. [see also H.R. 2077 in 1997; Res. 8, 1997; also Res. 6, 1998 and Res. 9, 1999] Natural conditions should be protected within the Sequoia National Monument; areas already disturbed should be restored. Logging should stop, and the duration of old timber sale contracts should not be extended. New information indicates that these timber sales may pose a threat to the population of the Pacific fisher. [Res. 1, 2005] The area should not be decimated under various pretexts, such as "thinning for fire prevention," "forest health," "disease control," and steps necessary for "public safety." Further legal restrictions are needed to protect the area, and the fire management plan for the entire Sequoia National Forest should be re-written with public input, as required by court order. [Res. 1, 2005] The closed canopy of ancient forest, which is important habitat, should be preserved and set aside within the monument as Ancient Forest Reserves. Roadless Areas within it should be added to the Wilderness System. [Res. 15, 2002] Because the Forest Service proposes to manage the Giant Sequoia National Monument primarily through logging as much as ten million board feet per year, the Monument should be transferred to the National Park Service. It should manage the area under the presidential proclamation of April 5, 2000. [Res. 17, 2003]
All of the 60,000 acres of the Headwaters Forest in Northern California, which includes six large groves of old-growth coastal redwoods, should receive protection, not just 5% of it under any land exchange with the federal government. The federal government should acquire the entire area in any way feasible (as though an offset against the land owner's debt to the government). Logging there must cease. [Res. 1, 1996]
Major portions of the waters off the southern California coast, which are under state jurisdiction, need to be closed to fishing because of the damage being done by bottom trawling and dredging and should be placed within a properly funded California Marine Preserve, including waters near Catalina Island and off Carpinteria, Leo Carrillo Beach, Palos Verdes Peninsula, Laguna Beach, Dana Point, Camp Pendleton, and La Jolla. [Res. 19, 2001]
The FWOC urges the Forest Service to maintain natural conditions in undisturbed portions of the Giant Sequoia National Monument rather than pursuing logging under various pretenses, such as "thinning for fire prevention." The intent in designating the area as a national monument needs to be honored. Moreover, all qualifying roadless areas in the monument should be designated as wilderness; undisturbed areas of old growth should be designated as Ancient Forest Reserves; and disturbed areas should be restored. [Res. 15, 2002]
Congress should authorize acceptance of easements that would expand the coverage of the Point Reyese National Seashore by as many as 36,000 acres on the east side of Tomales Bay in Marin County, California that would be acquired by the Marin County Agricultural Land Trust and block any new development (such as housing, golf courses, landfill, etc.). [Res. 12, 1994]
New highways, or reconstructed ones, should avoid routes through parkland, particularly in cases where suitable alternatives exist. For instance, Highway 101 in northern California should avoid intruding further into Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park and not further destroy old-growth redwood trees there. [Res. 1, 1991]
Adequate funding should be provided to support state park systems, such as in California, so as to avoid closures of parks, insufficient maintenance, and pressures for inappropriate commercialism. [Res. 7, 1992] The FWOC supports efforts to approve an initiative to provide $115 million for California state parks, as part of a $1.9 billion general obligation bond measure to pay for acquisition, development and restoration of environmental, wildlife and cultural resources. [Res. 16, 1993] It also supports a subsequent bond measure in 1998 at the level of $849,500,000 for the same purpose (through S.B.2). [Res. 15, 1998]
Because the National Park Service can only gain the funding it needs to administer the former Presidio in San Francisco as part of the Golden Gate NRA through leasing and developing facilities there, a public benefit corporation should be set up for that purpose. [Res. 6, 1994] This national treasure--a 1,400 acre forested area, with many unique attractions and facilities--also contains 800 military buildings and is expensive to operate. [Res. 6, 1996] The former wetlands, from which Crissy Field (20-30 acres) there was developed, should be restored so that they can provide needed habitat for migratory birds and fish. [Res. 7, 1996]
Regional park districts, such as the East Bay Regional Park District in California, should use systems for planning use of park resources that are based on thorough understanding of ecological principles; knowledge of the natural and cultural values of their resources; seeking informed input by the public, and only accommodating public recreational use in ways that do not diminish natural and cultural values. Preservation of park resources should be the first priority. Classification systems should be used that define which uses are, or are not allowed, within parks or zones within them. GIS mapping should be done on a park-by-park basis, with master plans prepared and maintained to apply appropriate restrictions over time. Revisions should not eliminate park classifications and the restrictions that go with them. [Res. 10, 1994]
Gambling casinos, shopping malls and other large, new developments should not be built on San Francisco and San Pablo bays. Land along these bays should instead become part of a necklace of shoreline parks. Open space along the bays should be protected. [Res. 24, 2007]
The FWOC supports the aim of legislation (S. 2535) introduced by Senator Barbara Boxer, with companion bills in the House, to designate 76 new wilderness areas in California, totaling 2.5 million acres, as well as adding 500 linear miles of river to the national Wild and Scenic Rivers System. However, unfortunately permissive language in the bill needs to be removed. [Res. 12, 2002]
Idaho
The Forest Service should work diligently to enforce court rulings requiring that three lodges along the Salmon River in the Central Idaho Wilderness be removed as nonconforming and that the sites be restored. Legislation should not be enacted to override this ruling, such as S.1003 which would grant special rights to three Idaho outfitters. The Forest Service must work quickly to assure that tehse three illegally built lodges are removed and the sites restored by the court-ordered date of December 31, 2005. [Res. 3, 2003, Res. 18, 2004]The 450,000 acres of the Great Rift Wilderness Area managed by the BLM should be added to the Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho. [Res. 19, 1990] The additions should be closed to mineral entry; their ought to be no hunting on lava flows; no control of predators should be allowed; and use of off-road vehicles ought to be restricted to designated routes. Wilderness designations for the two lava flows, as put forth by the National Park Service, should be approved by Congress. [Res. 3, 2000]
The 500,000 acre Boulder-White Cloud Council area in central Idaho should be classified as wilderness and added to the National Wilderness Preservation System. This popular area with rich wildlife habitat is threatened by mining and off-road vehicle use. [Res. 9, 1993; see also Res. 5, 2000] This tract of land should also be added to the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, as well as land in the Pioneer Range too (as well as other areas recommended by the Idaho Alpine Club and others). Moreover, adequate staffing and funding must be provided. [Res. 22, 1997]
In its final management plan for the Panhandle National Forest of Idaho, the Forest Service should recommend establishing wilderness in all of the Long Canyon area, along the Selkirk Crest, in the Mallard-Larkin area (all of it), and in the Grandmother Mountains and the Continental Mountain. Much more wilderness should be recommended than in its first plan for this forest. All eligible wild and scenic rivers and river corridors should be protected, buffer strips set up to protect water quality and native fisheries, and all old growth should be protected from logging. [Res. 8, 2006]
Montana
The Forest Service should cease all activities that compromise the wilderness character of Wilderness Study Areas, which are illegal and contrary to obligations to maintain the potential of these areas for inclusion within the National Wilderness Preservation System. In Montana, such contrary activities as salvage timber sales, access roads for mines, facilities for exploratory drilling and mineral development are all occurring (within designated WSA's in the Bitterroot, the Gallatin and the Lewis and Clark national forests). Valuable habitat for grizzly bears and mountain goats is being jeopardized. [Res. 10, 1996]The management plan for the Missouri River Breaks National Monument should preserve the wildness found there. It should limit dirt bikes, all-terrain vehicles, and other motorized vehicles to existing roads. Personal motorized boats should observe "no wake" speeds during the entire year. In addition to preserving wildness, the plan should protect biological, geological, and historic values in the area. [Res. 18, 2002]
Nevada
Public education should go forward to improve understanding of the values of roadless areas in Nevada and the potential for protecting more wilderness there under the National Wilderness Preservation System. [Res. 25, 1997]More than three million acres in Lincoln and White counties in eastern Nevada in some forty acres in Nevada should be added to the National Wilderness Preservation System, without any special provisions or exceptions at odds with the original Wilderness Act. These are on public lands administered by the Forest Service, the BLM, and the Fish and Wildlife Service. [Res. 4, 2003]
New wilderness areas should be set aside in Nevada's White Pine and Lyon counties (with the stipulation that legislative language should be in accord with that of the original Wilderness Act). This roadless terrain is representative of the Great Basin ecosystem and has outstanding wilderness values, as well as strong local support. [Res. 11, 2005]
Legislation should be enacted to extend wilderness protection in Southern Nevada to selected lands administered by four federal agencies (BLM, Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Park Service) as proposed by a coalition of citizens groups to the state's senators. This proposal would also help counteract sprawl around Las Vegas and better protect archeological resources and habitat for endangered species. [Res. 12, 2001] S. 2612 would add many important areas to the wilderness system within Clark County, but it leaves some important areas out too -- Gold Butte and the Highland Range. These areas should be added to the legislation, and provisions should be removed which would permit activities not otherwise permitted in wilderness. This legislation should be enacted within these changes. [Res. 6, 2002]
Terrain around Gold Butte in Clark County, Nevada and near the Colorado River should be placed in a 362,177 acre Gold Butte National Conservation Area. In addition, 120,000 acres within this area should be designated as wilderness, along with 80,000 acres in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area administered by the National Park Service. This area (Gold Butte) had been left out of earlier protective legislation. This designation will help attract the resources needed to protect its archeological resources from vandals and from destructive ORV use. Legislation to affect these changes has been introduced by a member of Congress from southern Nevada. [Res. 15, 2008]
Over one million acres in the Black Rock-High Rock desert areas of northwest Nevada should be set aside as a National Conservation Area under the BLM, with special emphasis on preservation of the outstanding historic (e.g., Lassen-Applegate Trail), prehistoric (e.g., Mammoth bones), and natural values (e.g., endangered desert pupfish habitat) of the areas. [Res. 16, 1997, Res. 16, 2000] Nine wilderness areas (now WSA's) also should be set aside when appropriate legislation is enacted, which should withdraw the entire areas from mineral entry to preserve the view shed. [Res. 8, 1999]
The FWOC calls upon Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign of Nevada to add the Gold Butte and Highland Range areas to their bill to put $444,000 acres of magnificent wild land in Clark County, Nevada into the National Wilderness Preservation System and to remove unfortunately permissive language from this legislation. The areas left out of includes land with important archeological values and habitat for rare and threatened species. [Res. 6, 2002]
The air basin over Great Basin National Park should be classified as a Class 1 Air Basin to preserve the pristine quality of its air; e.g., on clear days, from the top of Wheeler Peak there one can see 200 miles in any direction. It deserves to be a class 1 air basin, not a class II, as it now is. [Res. 18, 2007]
Oregon
De facto areas of wilderness over 5,000 acres in size in the five national forests in the Klamath-Siskiyou bio-region should be removed from the timber base and closed to timbering. These areas should be officially designated as wilderness because of their biological diversity and not be opened to logging under the guise of "new forestry." [Res. 12, 1991]The Rough and Ready Creek watershed in the Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion should be set aside as a National Monument because of its botanical significance globally (with the most diverse conifer forest in the world--31species--and 17 species of animals with special status) and the threats posed to it by mining. Once the area is withdrawn from mining, the validity of existing claims needs to be determined, and established rights purchased. [Res. 10, 2000]
The boundaries of the 53,000 acre Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument that was set aside near Soda Mountain in Oregon by presidential proclamation in 2000 should not be reduced, nor should the proclamation language be altered. The management plan prepared by the Medford office of the BLM should be released and put into effect. [Res. 23, 2001]
Within the Soda Mountain National Monument in southern Oregon, a wilderness area of 23,000 acres should be established (rather than just the 6000 acres temporarily protected by the BLM). The wilderness needs to be of sufficient size to protect the values for which the area was established. For instance, it includes habitat for 112 species of butterflies. Logging, mining, grazing, and ATV use should be eliminated within the wilderness. [Res. 10, 2005] Federal legislation should be enacted to authorize and direct the BLM to buy out grazing leases within this monument and to permanently retire all grazing allotments. [Res. 12, 2008]
40,000 acres in the watershed of the North Fork of the Smith River in southern Oregon should be added to the Smith River national Recreation Area in California (with protection from dams, logging and mining). [Res. 16, 1991]
Inventoried roadless areas that surround the Kalmiopsis Wilderness in southern Oregon should be added to it, adding 285,000 acrers to this biologically important area. [Res. 5, 2007] The nearby Wild Rogue Wilderness should also have 58,430 acres added to it; and 97.75 miles should be added to the portions of the lower Rogue River that are protected under the Scenic and Wild Rivers Act. [Res. 6, 2007]
Full and permanent protection should be given to 35,000 acres in the drainage of Opal Creek in Oregon's Willamette National Forest because of the outstanding old growth forest found there (with 1,000 year old cedars), as well as numerous waterfalls and scenic attractions. [Res. 4, 1995]
The magnificent Steens Mountain of southeastern Oregon should be made into a National Park or Monument (under the National Park Service), with private lands (inholdings) acquired as they become available and grazing phased out (which is now degrading the area). [Res. 16, 1999]
The Owyhee Canyonlands of southwestern Idaho, southeastern Oregon and northwestern Nevada, which comprise the largest unprotected roadless area in the lower 48 states and which contain large herds of pronghorn antelope and California bighorn sheep, should be given complete protection and not be used as a practice bombing range by the Air Force. [Res. 5, 1995] This spectacular and unique canyonland area should be made a National Monument. [Res. 10, 1998]
The Hells Canyon NRA, now managed by the Forest Service, should instead by designated as a National Preserve/Chief Joseph National Preserve. Until that is done, the area should be managed under the Native Ecosystem Recovery Alternative, which would end inappropriate logging and grazing and emphasize the protection of biological diversity and wilderness. [Res. 13, 1999] In managing this area, there ought to be no logging of old growth, nor should livestock grazing be introduced into livestock-free grasslands, and proper monitoring should be a condition for continuation of any commercial or motorized activity. Furthermore, 31 miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers there ought to be non-motorized, and the Hells Canyon Rim Trail ought to be closed to motor vehicles. [Res. 9, 2000] Dirt roads along the edge of the NRA that are overgrown and valuable as deer and elk habitat (such as for calving) should not be paved. [Res. 23, 1997] Because the Forest Service has neglected to fend off threats to this area (too many logging roads, violations of grazing rules, and unchecked jet boats) and live up to its stewardship responsibilities, greater efforts are needed to enact legislation to set up this new Preserve. [Res. 24, 2003]
Mt. Hood, and all the public forested land around it, should be encompassed within a Mt. Hood National Park to best protect its magnificent setting, wilderness and recreational values (and because the Forest Service continues to foster commercial logging which is destructive of those values). [Res. 15, 1999]
Legislation should be enacted designating 177, 801 acres in the Mt. Hood National Forest as wilderness. Greater efforts should be made to organize more political support for this measure. [Res. 3, 2005] Under legislation introduced by Senator Ron Wyden, which the Federation supports, additions would be made to the following existing wilderness areas: Mt. Hood Wilderness, Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness, Badger Creek Wilderness, and the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness. Moreover, it supports provisions in his bill to expand the Wild and Scenic Rivers System in the area by adding nearly 15 miles of the East Fork of Hood River, 4.7 miles of the Middle Fork of the Hood River, 9 miles of the Zig Zag River, and 8.3 miles of Eagle Creek. [Res. 8, 2004] The more comprehensive bill bringing additional wilderness protection to the Mt. Hood area introduced by Senators Smith and Wyden in late 2006 is even better since it would protect 125,000 acres and give additional protection to nearly 80 miles of wild and scenic rivers. This measure should be enacted. [Res. 7, 2006]
The Forest Service should be provided with expanded authority to acquire lands within the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area so that pressures will be reduced for development and so that zoning will not be the only tool available to protect the area. More must be done there to restrict logging and clear cutting that affects the area and to restore fisheries, wildlife and natural values. [Res. 20, 1992]
Federal law and programs to protect the Columbia Gorge (in the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area) ought ot be strengthened through extending boundaries to include more land along tributaries, providing more funding for land acquisition, and additional enforcement authority. Furthermore, state and local authorities need to stop clear cutting in the Gorge and better control non-conforming activity (e.g., building houses, factories, quarries, etc.) [Res. 7, 1993]
To be able to do its job and properly resist pressures for development, the Columbia Gorge Commission must be adequately funded and not weakened. The Governors of the affected states should also be urged to appoint people to the commission who are supportive of environmental values. [Res. 4, 1997]
An off-reservation casino for gambling should not be approved and built within the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Area. Such a casino would produce impacts that would harm the area, and would be inappropriate for such an area. It would harm nesting habitat for birds such as bald eagles, osprey, and great blue herons; expansion of the freeway could harm nearby salmon habitat; and runoff from the parking area could pollute the Columbia River. It could also trigger pressures to expand the nearby community into the Scenic Area. A 500,000 square-foot casino has been proposed at Cascades Locks. The Interior Department should continue to disalllow the casino. [Res. 22, 2005] The proposal would be out-of-scale with the community of Cascade Locks, would compromise the scenic beauty of the area, increase noise, reduce air quality, and impair the quality of nearby streams and the Columbia River. As the environmental impact statement is prepared, the “no action” alternative should be chosen. [Res. 5, 2008]
In honor of Lewis and Clark who visited the area, Hat Rock State Park in Umatilla County, Oregon along the Columbia River, should be expanded to include a mile or more inland to land a half mile or more on the opposite side of state highway 730 and continue for at least five miles along the river to McNary Nature Wildlife Area, and be left in its natural state. [Res. 4, 2005]
Congress should immediately appropriate $10 million to purchase privately-owned inholdings within the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Area from willing sellers under provisions of a law passed in 2000 that gives the Forest Service authority to acquire such lands for a limited time, which will soon run out. Thousands of acres are available for sale from such sellers. [Res. 9, 2004]
State park authorities should never sell logs from the parks to raise money (as has happened in Oregon). State parks should be adequately funded by legislatures so that needed maintenance and improvements can go forward. [Res. 24, 1997]
The Madrone Wall site in Clackamas county, Oregon ought to be acquired by the county as a park so that use of the beautiful area (which includes a thriving wetland) can continue by recreationists (including climber, hikers and equestrians) and so that the wall will not become a quarry. [Res. 20, 2000]
Utah
A large assembly of specific BLM roadless areas in Utah, totaling no less than 5.7 million acres, which contain areas of matchless beauty, unique features, and fragile ecosystems, should be added to the National Wilderness Preservation System. [Res. 6, 1995, Res. 3, 1996] Moreover, another 2.6 million acres of BLM there that have wilderness qualities should be designated as Wilderness Study Areas. [Res. 20, 1999]Field study has now indicated that a collection of wilderness units totaling over nine million acres of BLM land should be set aside in Utah's Redrock country. The BLM should maintain the wilderness characteristics of these lands by prohibiting drilling and use by off-road vehicles. These lands include the huge canyon systems of the Colorado, Green, San Juan, and Delores rivers; the vast table lands and massive cliff-walls of the Kaiparowitts Plateau, the Book Cliffs, and the Grand Staircase; and the isolated mountain ranges and desert riparian area of Utah's Great Basin country. These lands equal neighboring national parklands in scenic beauty, opportunities for primitive recreation, and in ecological importance. [Res. 6, 2005]
The Zion-Mojave area of Washington county in southern Utah should be protected as wilderness under the Wilderness Act of 1964, as well as the rest of the areas included in the Redrock Wilderness bill, recognizing that this area is an integral part of that package of comprehensive wilderness legislation for Utah. This 300,000 acre block of BLM land is one of the last remaining places of refuge and solitude in a region quickly losing its open space to suburban sprawl and industrial expansion. The area boasts soaring sandstone towers, deep canyons, and ponderosa-studded mesas that attract tourists, hikers, climbers, and canyoneers. It has species found nowhere else in the state, such as the desert tortoise and various rare fish species, such as the Virgin River club. [Res. 14, 2005]
However, some proposals in Congress to designate wilderness in this Zion-Mojave area of southern Utah would come at too high a price (S. 3636, 2006). The price would include: sale of 24,300 acres of public domain, with the proceeds given to developers; strip statutory protection from 14 square miles of BLM wilderness study areas; give away rights-of-way on BLM lands to water developers; provide new utility corridors to these developers, as well as take 70,000 acre feet of water from Lake Powell; push a transportation corridor through a wildlife reserve; and weaken requirements for public involvement. This proposal is known as the Washington County Growth and Conservation Act of 2006 is not in the public interest and should not be enacted. [Res. 13, 2006]
No commercial development should be allowed within the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah (e.g., for oil drilling). Instead, 1.3 million acres of the monument should be managed so as to protect their wilderness values, with legislation passed to secure these values. [Res. 5, 1998]
Washington
Qualifying reaches of rivers in Washington State should be added to the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers System--based largely on favorable evaluation by investigating federal agencies. Rivers more valuable for fishing, rafting, kayaking, boating or riverside hiking should be protected from dams, diversions, and development that threatens them so that their character will not be changed. Other states should seek wild river coverage comparable to Oregon's. [Res. 20, 1990]The 55 mile long section of the Columbia River in Washington state known as the Hanford Reach, which is undammed and undredged and supports the last spawning ground for the Chinook salmon, should be set aside as a component of the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers System. [Res. 16, 1992]
Because of its character as the the last free-flowing stretch of the Columbia River, the 51 mile reach from Richland, Washington to the Priest Rapids Dam should be set aside as a Wild and Scenic River, and the adjoining habitat in the Department of Energy Hanford Reservation should be transferred to the Interior Department and made a wildlife refuge to protect the 48 rare, threatened and endangered species found there, as well as the archeological sites and rich habitat (the last best shrub-steppe habitat functioning as an intact ecosystem). [Res. 6, 1993] Found there are such species as the bald eagle, the peregrine falcon, the pallid bat, the Columbia pebble snail, and the dwarf evening primrose. [Res. 9, 1995]
The area along the Spokane River as it leaves the city should be preserved in its natural state, with low-impact accessibility for the public. [Res. 26, 2003]
No new roads should be constructed in or through the Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument in Washington state because they would hinder the process of recovery at work there and compromise the integrity of the area. The wild, remote, roadless quality of its landscaped is part of its value. New roads are unnecessary and would be costly. [Res. 15, 2001]
A massive ski resort should not be built at Birdcreek Meadows on the south side of Mt. Adams within the Yakama Indian Reservation. This would impact a roadless area, formerly within a Wilderness Area, which was turned back to the tribe in 1972 to settle a boundary dispute. The Yakama Nation should continue to protect the integrity of this area. [Res. 9, 2005]
The Forest Service should immediately close all trails in the Dark Divide area of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Washington state to motorized use and protect it from further development. This 76,000 acre area is the largest, unprotected roadless area in Washington state and contains two valleys of old-growth forest. The area is now suffering from overuse and abuse by motorcycles. Congress should enact legislation putting the area in the National Wilderness Preservation System (with no special provisions or exceptions that weaken wilderness protection). [Res. 16, 2001, Res. 5, 2003]
All waters in northern Puget Sound in Washington state from Cape Flattery to Point Roberts to Admiralty Inlet (excluding only urbanized harbors) should be placed within a national marine sanctuary under NOAA which would impose more stringent tanker safety measures (including double hulls, pilotage and tug escort, and electronic navigational capability). These uniquely sheltered marine waters provide refuge for numerous birds and mammals, including bald eagles, killer whales, harbor seals, and rhinoceros auklets. [Res. 25, 1991]
Stronger stewardship programs are needed to protect Puget Sound from pollution and development stemming from a growing human population. [Res. 26, 1991] A National Marine Sanctuary ought to be established in the Northwest Straits area of Puget Sound to protect this unique and irreplaceable area from pollution, and prohibit fishing and collecting marine organisms. [Res. 13, 1998]
A large system of state-sponsored Marine Protected Areas ought to be developed in Puget Sound that would protect and manage habitat for such endangered species as salmon and would control use by beach users, protect uplands from pollution, and prohibit fishing and collecting marine organisms. [Res. 7, 2000]
Vessels sailing through the waters of the Olympic Coast Sanctuary in Washington state should be regulated, with ships in excess of 134 feet in length avoiding the area entirely (except when fishing, carrying passengers, involved with military exercises, and tugs pulling barges carrying non hazardous cargoes). Moreover, all vessels carrying oil and hazardous cargo should be required to stay out of the sanctuary, regardless of size. [Res. 8, 1995]
More than one-quarter of the land in Washington state's national forests should be protected as wilderness. The following areas there should be added to the National Wilderness Preservation System: Kettle River Range, Dark Divide, Abercrombie-Hooknose, North Fork Entiat, Golden Horn, Eagle Rock and Upper Skokomish (as recommended in the Wild Washington campaign). [Res. 32, 1999] Until the Dark Divide area is added to the Wilderness system, this area of 76,000 acres in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest should be closed to motorized use of its trails and protected from further development. Legislation to add it to the wilderness system should not include special provisions or exceptions that weaken wilderness protection. [Res. 16, 2001]
In addition, the 110,000 acre Sky Peaks area in the Stevens Pass/central Cascades region should be added to the Wilderness Preservation System. This will correct the mistake made in 1984 when it was not included in the Alpine Lakes wilderness. [Res. 26, 2001]
The area around Snoqualmie Falls in Washington state, near Seattle, should be restored to its natural state (with the power plant removed and not re-licensed; it provides only 0.7 percent of the power for the company operating it) and be made a National Monument. [Res. 7, 1995] The weir above the falls that diverts all the flow at certain hours should be removed. The area is revered by many native peoples. [Res. 30, 1999]
Discovery Park in Seattle, which has extraordinary open space values, should be expanded by the adding the "500 area" to it (which is no longer needed for military purposes). [Res. 29, 1999]
The 23-acre parcel of land in Discovery Park in Seattle, known as Capehart housing, which has been retained by the military, should still be acquired by the city for inclusion in this part because of its outstanding values as open space. It should not be developed for housing. The city of Seattle must live up to its commitment to secure funding for the remaining purchase price for this parcel, particularly because the legislature and the county have both relied on the city's promise to do this. [Res. 16, 2005]
Federal and state funds should be provided to assist the Lummi Tribe in Washington state to buy the 2,000 acres of old growth forests in the drainage of Arlecho Creek near Bellingham so that this tract can be preserved in trust. This is the last intact stand of old growth left in Puget Sound; it provides clear, cold water for a fish hatchery and contains important religious and cultural sites. [Res. 4, 1996]
State parkland in Washington state on the Miller Peninsula, which is on the Olympic Peninsula, should not be compromised by removal of rare and unique waterfront property for a private development. [Res. 36, 1991]
The Blanchard Hill area south of Bellingham, Washington should be made into a nature preserve because of its unique qualities and location. Until purchased, no more timber on the site should be clearcut. [Res. 1, 2000]
A conservation park of 1240 acres should be established in the vicinity of Kelso, WA by that state's Department of Natural Resources. It should include 240 acres of wetlands and old-growth forests, which are already in the public domain, and 1000 acres nearby which should be purchased. That area provides an ideal location for such a park because of highly diverse habitats in close proximity (including nests for bald eagles). [Res. 17, 2002]
The parks and recreation department of Clark County in Vancouver, Washington should acquire the historic Clark County Poor Farm property and the neighboring private land to protect it as a natural county park. The building on the property should be placed on the National Historic Register. The property is no longer being used as the site of either a poor farm or by Washington State University. [Res. 12, 2004]
British Columbia
300,000 acres of pristine land in British Columbia on the Canadian side of the international border (including the Chilliwack and Skagit River corridors and the areas in Manning and Cathedral Lakes Provincial Parks) adjoining the North Cascades National Park complex on the U.S. side should be set aside (which are all part of the Greater North Cascades ecosystem) as a component of what should be known as the North Cascades International Park. [Res. 10, 1993; also Res. 1, 1994]The ancient forests and waters of the Clayoquot sound area of British Columbia (over 125,000 acres) need to be placed in a protected area by the government of the province, with co-management by the native peoples of the area. Industrial logging and logging concessions in the area need to be terminated. [Res. 1, 1993] Potential customers for pulp derived from logging this area should refuse to buy from this source (the provincial government plans to permit nearly three quarters of the area to be clear cut). [Res. 9, 1994]
The government of British Columbia should extend further protection to qualified areas on Vancouver Island, including additional area on Claqoquot Sound, in the Tsitika Valley, Kiaskian and East Creeks, Sushartie (and also the west coast of Nootka Island), to constitute a new Vancouver Island National Park. [Res. 3, 1995]
A Biosphere Reserve should be established in the Clayoquot Sound area of Vancouver Island. [Res. 21, 1997]
2.8 million acres of unroaded, unlogged and uninhabited wilderness along the Tatsheshini River in British Columbia and Alaska should be protected from the destructive effect of an access road to a proposed mine near there. [Res. 13, 1991] The area ought to be set aside as a national park by appropriate authorities in Canada, including the largest old growth forest in the western hemisphere. [Res. 4, 1991]
Burns Bog, a unique raised peat bog in an estuary 15 miles north of the U.S.-Canadian border affording valuable habitat, should be protected as a natural preserve. [Res. 1, 2001]
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