The end of summer signaled the end of the congressional recess, and Members of Congress returned to Washington, DC, after Labor Day to take up legislative business once again.
Members across the political spectrum continue to actively work on wilderness initiatives; an updated list of the proposals and bills on which our organization and local and state partners work is available here.
Of particular note, recent action was taken on the following efforts:
On October 1, the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands held a hearing on the Devil’s Staircase Wilderness Act of 2009 (H.R. 2888), introduced by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR). This legislation would protect almost 30,000 acres of remarkable landscape in Oregon as wilderness and designate more than 14 miles of wild and scenic rivers
The “staircase” of waterfalls with plunge pools carved into the sandstone is a spectacular site and well worth the effort it takes to reach its remote location. The area also contains some of the finest examples of classic old growth forest left in the Coast Range and is home to a great web of native species, including threatened spotted owls, elk, black bear, mountain lions, river otter and mink.
At the same hearing, Subcommittee Members heard testimony on America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act (H.R. 1925). For more information about this proposal, visit: www.suwa.org. Also on October 1, Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), posted to her office website a discussion draft for wilderness protection in Colorado. To review and/or comment on that proposal, visit: degette.house.gov.
The Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing October 8 on two wilderness bills. S. 1272, is the Senate version of the Devil’s Staircase Wilderness Act, and was introduced by Subcommittee Chairman Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR). The second bill, S. 1689, the Organ Mountains – Desert Peaks Wilderness Act, will protect approximately 360,000 acres of southern New Mexico public lands as wilderness and two National Conservation Areas. This legislation was introduced by the full Committee’s Chairman, Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), and his colleague Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM).
Thanks to the hard work of our local and state partners, and the contact that people like you have had with your Members of Congress over the summer break, work on the Hill continues daily on numerous wilderness protection measures. We hope we will have several new bill introductions to report in our next Congressional update. Keep up the good work!
