Oregonian criticizes Congress for delaying OR Wilderness bills

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Oregon wilderness: Wait 'til next year
Editorial from the Oregonian criticizes Congress for pushing back OR Wilderness bills
Nov 18, 2008
By Rick Attig

An Oregon wilderness bill is stopped dead in Congress yet again.

This is getting old, watching them lug an Oregon wilderness bill up to the Hill for the umpteenth time, only to discover yet again that it's a false summit, that Congress can't get it done, that a cranky Oklahoma senator objects, that it's dead. This is a helluva way to save a natural treasure.

Supporting Mount Hood wilderness has become the natural resources equivalent of rooting for the Cubs. Everybody expects the new players -- more slick-fielding Democrats! -- will push it over the top. Then the game starts, and the Oregon wilderness team goes down swinging to journeyman pitchers most people have never heard of: Pombo, Coburn.

Wait til' next year, right?

There's nothing else to do. Oregon's lawmakers already all support, with varying levels of enthusiasm, the expanded wilderness at Mount Hood, and the new designation of wilderness at Soda Mountain, Copper Salmon, Badlands and Spring Basin. Lawmakers have held all the public meetings, done all the necessary fieldwork, to build strong bipartisan Oregon support for the changes. The fact is, Oregonians have done everything they possibly can to persuade Congress to protect forever some of the most important federal lands in this state.

That's not enough this year. But come January there will be some new names on the Oregon wilderness roster next year -- Merkley, Schrader. A promising new left-hander, Obama, will be in the White House. It's going to be a big, big year for Oregon wilderness.

Just you wait.

Yeah, just wait 'til next year.

VOLUNTEER WILDERNESS INVENTORIES
Photos of a Wilderness inventory near Juntura, in eastern Oregon
ONDA survey of Owyhee Canyon
Owyhee Canyon Wilderness study area
Oregon's Owyhee River inventory delivered to BLM
About the Owyhee River wilderness inventory with ONDA

EASTERN OREGON ADVENTURES
Pulling barbed wire fence at the Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge with ONDA
Scenes from an ODFW - STEP volunteer 1,000 mile drive around eastern Oregon
Backpacking Big Indian Gorge in The Steens
NOLS group on an Owyhee River Canyon adventure
Owyhee River desert lands - Jordan Valley Rodeo
Steens Mountain wedding in Eastern Oregon

ENVIRONMENTAL
USFS Five Buttes Healthy Forest fire reduction program in Central Oregon
Bob McGown, AAC Section Chair, builds a telescope pad at Pine Mountain Observatory
Becoming an Outdoors Woman classes in LaPine, Oregon with the ODFW
Pulling barbed wire fence at the Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge with ONDA
A tour of the aftermath of the B & B forest fire with the Sierra Club
Adopt-a-Road with TraditionalMountaineering
The Bend Bicycle Festival 2004
Wolves introduced to the High Desert Museum
Twenty old growth Juniper stolen from The Badlands WSA More information
A sustainable way to use feathers to adorn my lady
ODFW clinic - Becoming an Outdoors Woman
President Bush holds photo opportunities
Trail Crew builds a log bridge over Spring Creek
Sierra Club holds a Christmas party
Tour fire ravaged Davis Lake
IMBA helps COTA build trails
South Sister climbers trail relocated
President Bush hopes no child will be left behind
Adopt-A-Highway with TraditionalMountaineering
Department of Inferior dumps wilderness protection
An ODFW juvenile steelhead sampling project near John Day, Oregon
The ODFW juvenile steelhead survey in the stream
Owyhee Canyon wilderness study area in south east Oregon
ONDA's Owyhee wilderness inventory camp near Rome, Oregon
Riverfest river cleanup in Bend Oregon
USFS Mud Bog poster
A Pay to Play bust
President Bush reassures us that SUVs do not damage the environment!
President Bush overlooking the environment
Al Gore and his young son summit Mt. Rainier
Fee Demo demonstration in Central Oregon