Washington has 419,255 acres of BLM lands and 9,273,265 acres of National Forests. The last wilderness area designated in Washington was in 2008: Wild Sky.
Bills
Alpine Lakes Additions
- Bill title:
- Alpine Lakes Wilderness Additions and Wild Pratt River Act
- Bill number:
- S. 721 / H.R. 1769
- Sponsors:
- Rep. Dave Reichert (R-WA), Sen. Patty Murray
- Summary:
- On March 30, 2009 Rep. David Reichert (R-WA) introduced legislation that would expand the existing 394,000-acre Alpine Lakes Wilderness by 22,100 acres and designate parts of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie and Pratt Rivers as Wild and Scenic. The additional roadless lands protected by this bill lie in the Pratt River Valley and the Middle and South Fork Snoqualimie River Valleys, an area that includes glacier-cut u-shaped valleys, snow capped peaks, old-growth forests, whitewater rivers and strong native trout runs. This wilderness area is the closest and most accessible to residents of the greater Seattle Metropolitan area and would preserve existing recreational opportunities for hiking, camping, rafting, kayaking, horseback riding, mountain biking and wildlife viewing. Sen. Patty Murray introduced companion legislation in the Senate.
- More info:
- Sierra Club [1]
- Washington Wilderness Coalition [2]
Pratt River viewed from Bessemer;
© Rick McGuire
Campaigns
Colville National Forest
- Summary:
- A partnership between timber interests and conservationists to seek solutions that will ultimately protect some 350,000 acres of magnificent old-growth forest, including ponderosa pine, western larch, white pine and red cedar. The area hosts some of the most diverse wildlife habitat in the Pacific Northwest and is home to wolverines, grizzly bears, lynxes, and martens. Another 400,000 acres will be protected from the old industrial logging of the past and slated for responsible forest management.
- More info:
- Conservation Northwest [3]
Kettle River Range;
© Tim Coleman