Wilderness News Releases

The Campaign for America’s Wilderness joins conservationists from around the country in expressing thanks to the Members of the House Committee on Natural Resources, who today approved three major bills that will forever protect some of our best wild lands for future generations. We are especially appreciative of the dedicated, hard-working local conservationists in California and New Mexico who helped develop and support these important wilderness initiatives.

Bear Mountain in Wild Sky Wilderness;
© Tim Greyhavens

President Bush today signed the Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008, which includes the Wild Sky Wilderness measure (H.R. 886/S.520) to permanently protect 106,000 acres of scenic national forest lands in the Wild Skykomish River region in Washington State. "We've waited a long time for this day, and oh what a great day it is," said Jon Owen, Deputy Campaigns Director for the Campaign for America's Wilderness--who as former Campaign Director for the Washington Wilderness Coalition helped launch the effort to protect this special wild place eight years ago.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today approved five important wilderness bills, sending them to the Senate floor, during a markup of four dozen public lands, forests, water and historic site bills.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the first and second wilderness bills of 2008 today—protecting land from one coast of the nation to the other. The Wild Monongahela Act (H.R. 5151) would designate more than 37,000 acres of the wildest land left in the Monongahela National Forest, and the Copper-Salmon Wilderness Act (H.R. 3513) would ensure permanent protection of some 14,000 acres of pristine, old-growth forest surrounding the headwaters of the Elk River in the Siskiyou National Forest on Oregon's southern coast.

The Campaign for America's Wilderness applauds the work of the Owyhee Initiative Work Group, Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID), and Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), which has resulted in today's hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests on the Owyhee Public Land Management Act of 2008 (S.

As the nation prepares to observe the 38th annual Earth Day, a new national report calls attention to ten wild places that are in trouble-places of our original Earth increasingly at risk of losing their wilderness qualities.  Wild...for How Long?  Ten Treasures in Trouble (PDF 5.8 MB) looks at some of the country's yet unprotected wild land and finds that from coast to coast, many of America's special wild places remain vulnerable to mining, drilling, roadbuilding, logging, development and off-road vehicle abuse.

All Americans have something to cheer today - just a week before Earth Day - as three important conservation bills, which will protect some very special pieces of our "original Earth," move another critical step toward enactment.

Citizens of Washington State and all across America have reason to celebrate today, with passage in the Senate of the Wild Sky Wilderness Act, as part of a larger lands package.  This important conservation bill will forever protect more than 106,000 acres of scenic national forest lands in the Wild Skykomish River region. 

For more than two decades, the debate over the future of America's incomparable public lands in the State of Utah has been mired in conflict and stalemate.  We wish to congratulate Sen. Bennett for introducing S.

Americans are an important step closer to being guaranteed the opportunity to forever hike, hunt, camp, canoe, climb and pursue other recreational opportunities in two special wild places at opposite sides of the country, as the House Natural Resources Committee today approved wilderness legislation protecting public land in Oregon and West Virginia, sending them to the House floor.