[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 136 (Friday, September 27, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1750]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       SNOQUALMIE NATIONAL FOREST BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT ACT OF 1996

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. JENNIFER DUNN

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 25, 1996

  Ms. DUNN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Hansen 
for his leadership on this bipartisan and proenvironment effort. This 
bill simply adjusts the boundary of the Snoqualmie National Forest to 
allow the incorporation into the Snoqualmie National Forest of some 
private lands owned by the Weyerhaeuser Co.
  I am pleased to state that this legislation is supported not only by 
all members of the Washington State delegation but also by the Sierra 
Club, the Alpine Lakes Protection Society, the Washington Environmental 
Council, the North Cascades Conservation Council, and the Mountaineers.
  This boundary adjustment will facilitate what is known as the 
Huckleberry Land Exchange, which involves approximately 7,200 acres of 
National Forest land and 33,000 acres of private land of which about 
6,278 are outside the present boundary of the Snoqualmie National 
Forest.
  As Chairman Hansen stated in his opening remarks, this landmark 
agreement has been several years in the making and was brought about 
through a collaborative effort between the Sierra Club's Checkerboard 
Project and the Weyerhaeuser Co. It is noteworthy that this exchange 
includes a substantial donation of land by Weyerhaeuser into the 
national Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area.
  Mr. Speaker, the public will benefit from this substantial donation 
of land. It will be one of only a few added this year into our Nation's 
wilderness areas. By consolidating ownership, an additional connecting 
corridor of wildlife habitat between the Alpine Lakes Wilderness and 
the Mount Si Conservation Area will be created.
  This land exchange also adds substantial acreage to the area visible 
to the public from the I-90 Freeway in support of the objectives of the 
Mountain to Sound Greenway Trust--a nonprofit organization whose sole 
purpose is to protect a greenway along I-90 from the eastern foothills 
of the Cascade Mountains all the way to Puget Sound.
  I want my colleagues to know that a Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement was released in late June, a 45-day public comment period was 
initiated, and three public meetings were held to discuss the exchange 
and the draft EIS. The final EIS and Record of Decision should be 
released by the end of October.
  Today's action is necessary in order to give the Forest Service 
authority to administer the exchange area. And, Mr. Speaker, since this 
exchange has been 12 years in the making, all parties involved are 
pleased that we will be finalizing the boundary modification 
legislation today.
  Mr. Speaker, this legislation is part of a win-win proposal. By 
consolidating ownership both the Forest Service and Weyerhaeuser will 
be able to implement a more effective ecosystem-based management that 
will allow for wetland protection and long-term protection for 
wildlife.
  More important, this land exchange is a textbook example of how land 
disputes can be resolved between parties that are willing to look for 
areas of agreement rather than differences. The environment and all of 
the people of the Puget Sound region benefit as a result. I thank the 
Speaker, the Resources Committee, and I urge my colleagues to support 
the passage of this resolution.

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