The Senate Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests held its first hearing on wilderness legislation of the 111th Congress on June 17th. Members of the Subcommittee heard testimony on legislation that will establish two New Mexico wilderness areas encompassing more than 21,000 acres. The El Rio Grande del Norte National Conservation Area Establishment Act (S. 874) was introduced recently by Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bingaman (D-NM) and Senator Tom Udall (D-NM). The bill will protect some 235,000 acres of northern New Mexico as a National Conservation Area (NCA), including the designation of the Cerro del Yuta (Ute Mountain) and San Antonio wilderness areas.
A representative of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) testified on behalf of the Administration in favor of the legislation. We expect the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to mark-up the proposal in the near future and send it to the Senate Floor for a vote.
Also, last month, Oregon’s Representative Peter DeFazio and Senator Ron Wyden introduced legislation to establish the unique Devil’s Staircase area as wilderness — seeking to permanently protect nearly 30,000 acres. Located on Wassen Creek in Oregon’s Coast Range, Devil’s Staircase is considered by some to be the most remote location in the entire state — home to many native plant and animal species.
We hope that the House Natural Resources Committee’s Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands will hold a hearing on this measure in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, several Members of the House and Senate are continuing to work diligently on drafting several new wilderness bills throughout the West. So, in addition to the El Rio Grande del Norte, Devil’s Staircase, Alpine Lakes and Boulder-White Clouds wilderness initiatives, we are likely to see a number of new wilderness bills introduced in the very near future.