[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 53 (Tuesday, April 29, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E786]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               DESIGNATING HANFORD REACH AS WILD & SCENIC

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. NORMAN D. DICKS

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 29, 1997

  Mr. DICKS. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce legislation today 
to designate a portion of the Columbia River, known as the Hanford 
Reach, as a wild and scenic corridor. I am pleased to have several of 
my Northwest colleagues join me as original co-sponsors of this 
important legislation.
  The area known as Hanford Reach is in critical need of protection 
through designation within the wild and scenic rivers system. First of 
all, Hanford Reach is a major spawning ground for Fall Chinook salmon 
within the main stem of the Columbia River, and as such is important to 
salmon recovery for the entire Columbia River system. The Reach's free 
flowing status provides excellent habitat for the Fall Chinook, as well 
as for runs of steelhead trout and sturgeon. As the Northwest continues 
to seek effective solutions for the immediate protection and 
restoration of wild salmon runs, the protection of Hanford Reach 
provides a meaningful and cost-effective contribution toward an overall 
long-term strategy for salmon habitat protection.
  Hanford Reach must also be protected because of its abundance of 
other ecological and cultural treasures. The area proposed for wild and 
scenic designation also serves as habitat for bald eagles, wintering, 
and migrating waterfowl, deer, elk, and significant other wildlife. It 
also supports a variety of rare, threatened, and endangered plants and 
animals. This area of the Columbia River Basin also has significant 
religious and cultural significance to several Indian tribes, with more 
than 150 archeological sites identified along the Hanford Reach 
corridor, including some dating back as far as 10,000 years.
  The Hanford Reach also contains the area known as the White Bluffs 
and adjacent shoreline areas that are an archeologically significant 
paleontological resource, and are rich with fossil remains from the 
Pliocene period. The unique cliffs of the White Bluffs provide dramatic 
scenery and rare habitat. Because of such historically and ecologically 
significant splendor, the 50-mile section of river representing the 
Hanford Reach corridor also provides an abundance of recreational 
opportunities and will serve as a long-term economic stimulus for 
nearby communities. It will afford visitors opportunities to hunt, 
boat, fish, hike, kayak, waterski, and birdwatch, as well as the 
opportunity to enjoy the relative solitude of an unspoiled and 
environmentally rich area.
  I urge my colleagues support for this critical environmental 
legislation.

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