[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 61 (Tuesday, April 17, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H3406-H3409]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
WILD SKY WILDERNESS ACT OF 2007
Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 886) to enhance ecosystem protection and the range of
outdoor opportunities protected by statute in the Skykomish River
valley of the State of Washington by designating certain lower-
elevation Federal lands as wilderness, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 886
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Wild Sky Wilderness Act of
2007''.
SEC. 2. ADDITIONS TO THE NATIONAL WILDERNESS PRESERVATION
SYSTEM.
(a) Additions.--The following Federal lands in the State of
Washington are hereby designated as wilderness and,
therefore, as components of the National Wilderness
Preservation System: certain lands which comprise
approximately 106,000 acres, as generally depicted on a map
entitled ``Wild Sky Wilderness Proposal'' and dated February
6, 2007, which shall be known as the ``Wild Sky Wilderness''.
(b) Map and Legal Descriptions.--As soon as practicable
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of
Agriculture shall file a map and a legal description for the
wilderness area designated under this Act with the Committee
on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the
Committee on Natural Resources of the House of
Representatives. The map and description shall have the same
force and effect as if included in this Act, except that the
Secretary of Agriculture may correct clerical and
typographical errors in the legal description and map. The
map and legal description shall be on file and available for
public inspection in the office of the Chief of the Forest
Service, Department of Agriculture.
SEC. 3. ADMINISTRATION PROVISIONS.
(a) In General.--
(1) Subject to valid existing rights, lands designated as
wilderness by this Act shall be managed by the Secretary of
Agriculture in accordance with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C.
1131 et seq.) and this Act, except that, with respect to any
wilderness areas designated by this Act, any reference in the
Wilderness Act to the effective date of the Wilderness Act
shall be deemed to be a reference to the date of enactment of
this Act.
(2) To fulfill the purposes of this Act and the Wilderness
Act and to achieve administrative efficiencies, the Secretary
of Agriculture may manage the area designated by this Act as
a comprehensive part of the larger complex of adjacent and
nearby wilderness areas.
(b) New Trails.--
(1) The Secretary of Agriculture shall consult with
interested parties and shall establish a trail plan for
Forest Service lands in order to develop--
(A) a system of hiking and equestrian trails within the
wilderness designated by this Act in a manner consistent with
the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.); and
(B) a system of trails adjacent to or to provide access to
the wilderness designated by this Act.
(2) Within two years after the date of enactment of this
Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall complete a report on
the implementation of the trail plan required under this Act.
This report shall include the identification of priority
trails for development.
(c) Repeater Site.--Within the Wild Sky Wilderness, the
Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to use helicopter
access to construct and maintain a joint Forest Service and
Snohomish County telecommunications repeater site, in
compliance with a Forest Service approved communications site
plan, for the purposes of improving communications for
safety, health, and emergency services.
(d) Float Plane Access.--As provided by section 4(d)(1) of
the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1133(d)(1)), the use of
floatplanes on Lake Isabel, where such use has already become
established, shall be permitted to continue subject to such
reasonable restrictions as the Secretary of Agriculture
determines to be desirable.
(e) Evergreen Mountain Lookout.--The designation under this
Act shall not preclude the operation and maintenance of the
existing Evergreen Mountain Lookout in the same manner and
degree in which the operation and maintenance of such lookout
was occurring as of the date of enactment of this Act.
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION FOR LAND ACQUISITION.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized
to acquire lands and interests therein, by purchase,
donation, or exchange, and shall give priority consideration
to those lands identified as ``Priority Acquisition Lands''
on the map described in section 2(a). The boundaries of the
Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and the Wild Sky
Wilderness shall be adjusted to encompass any lands acquired
pursuant to this section.
(b) Access.--Consistent with section 5(a) of the Wilderness
Act (16 U.S.C. 1134(a)), the Secretary of Agriculture shall
ensure adequate access to private inholdings within the Wild
Sky Wilderness.
(c) Appraisal.--Valuation of private lands shall be
determined without reference to any restrictions on access or
use which arise out of designation as a wilderness area as a
result of this Act.
SEC. 5. LAND EXCHANGES.
The Secretary of Agriculture shall exchange lands and
interests in lands, as generally depicted on a map entitled
``Chelan County Public Utility District Exchange'' and dated
May 22, 2002, with the Chelan County Public Utility District
in accordance with the following provisions:
(1) If the Chelan County Public Utility District, within
ninety days after the date of enactment of this Act, offers
to the Secretary of Agriculture approximately 371.8 acres
within the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in the State
of Washington, the Secretary shall accept such lands.
(2) Upon acceptance of title by the Secretary of
Agriculture to such lands and interests therein, the
Secretary of Agriculture shall convey to the Chelan County
Public Utility District a permanent easement, including
helicopter access, consistent with such levels as used as of
date of enactment, to maintain an existing telemetry site to
monitor snow pack on 1.82 acres on the Wenatchee National
Forest in the State of Washington.
(3) The exchange directed by this Act shall be consummated
if Chelan County Public Utility District conveys title
acceptable to the Secretary and provided there is no
hazardous material on the site, which is objectionable to the
Secretary.
(4) In the event Chelan County Public Utility District
determines there is no longer a need to maintain a telemetry
site to monitor the snow pack for calculating expected runoff
into the Lake Chelan hydroelectric project and the
hydroelectric projects in the Columbia River Basin, the
Secretary shall be notified in writing and the easement shall
be extinguished and all rights conveyed by this exchange
shall revert to the United States.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) and the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Pearce)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona.
General Leave
Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include
extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Arizona?
There was no objection.
Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 886, introduced by the gentleman from
Washington State, Representative Rick Larsen, would designate a
106,000-acre wilderness on national forest lands in the State of
Washington. The proposed wilderness, to be known as the Wild Sky
Wilderness, has probably been more studied and reviewed than any recent
wilderness considered by the Natural Resources Committee.
This is not a new matter. Nearly identical legislation was approved
by the committee in the 107th Congress. This message was subject to a
hearing in 2004, at which time the administration testified they do not
object to its passage.
[[Page H3407]]
Further, similar legislation has passed the Senate in each of the
last three Congresses. The proposed wilderness includes significant
low-level elevation wilderness that is home to important fish and
wildlife populations. This new wilderness would link with previously
designated wilderness in the national forest and would be within a few
hours' distance from half of the population of Washington State.
The Wild Sky Wilderness has significant State and local support in
Washington. State officials, local elected officials, businesses, and
church groups have all gone on record supporting the wilderness
designation.
Mr. Speaker, the time has come to designate this wilderness. I would
like to commend my colleague, Representative Larsen, and other Members
of the Washington delegation for their perseverance in seeking a
wilderness designation for this magnificent area.
We support passage of H.R. 886 and urge its adoption today.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I would like to begin by complimenting Representative Larsen for the
hard work he has put into this legislation and for proposing wilderness
only in his district. This would seem to be a basic sensible courtesy,
but seems to be lost on some of his fellow Democrats.
With that said, the minority is opposed to this bill. During the
markup in the Natural Resources Committee, the minority pledged its
willingness to work with the majority, but this offer must have fallen
upon deaf ears. In the future, we hope the majority can at least
contact us after we make such a gesture.
Much of the area that would be designated by this bill does not
qualify as wilderness. The 1964 Wilderness Act states explicitly that
wilderness areas should be primitive and untrammeled by man. Yet the
Wild Sky Wilderness Act includes several roads, a bridge, numerous
culverts, and other man-made developments.
The proposal also includes areas with mining patents and lands
identified by the Forest Service for timber harvest. Moreover,
according to the Forest Service, road corridors within the wilderness
are too narrow to ensure proper road maintenance and safe passage by
travelers. Without sufficient corridors, landslides or other natural
disturbances could permanently block or destroy the road.
Restrictions associated with the wilderness areas prohibit the use of
mechanized or motorized activities, which would surely be needed to
prepare a road. It is disingenuous for the majority to tout the
public's ability to visit the Wild Sky area without protecting one of
the main roads that would allow access to the Wild Sky area.
We are willing to work with the majority and have indicated our
willingness to do so. In the future we hope that the majority would
work with us.
Wilderness areas affect local communities, are permanent, and many
times have ramifications or unintended consequences. We ask the
majority to take these bills seriously and study them in good faith
before hurriedly passing them on to the House floor.
Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to my colleague, the
sponsor of this legislation before us today, the gentleman from
Washington (Mr. Larsen).
Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of
creating the first wilderness area for Washington State in over 20
years. The Wild Sky Wilderness will be unique, protecting 106,000 acres
of the most pristine forests and streams in my district, while
providing a clean and accessible place to hike, hunt, and fish.
The Wild Sky Wilderness Act has been carefully crafted, and it
reflects years of community input. It will protect the peaks, forests
and lakes of the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, as well as
thousands of acres of lower-elevation forest and salmon-bearing
streams. Wild Sky will protect more lower-elevation acres than any
other wilderness area in Washington State, bringing wilderness closer
to our communities and benefiting Washington families and businesses
for generations to come.
Congress passed the last national forest wilderness act in 1984 when
a bipartisan effort brought a bill to President Ronald Reagan for
signature that created, among other areas, the Henry M. Jackson
Wilderness. This Wild Sky Wilderness Act has strong bipartisan support
as well. This bill has received strong support from local Republican
and Democratic legislators, former Republican Governors, and our
current Democratic Governor, Christine Gregoire. Additionally, State
legislators and the Snohomish County Executive have expressed their
support.
The Wild Sky Wilderness Act has local support. The former mayor of
the town of Index, the closest local government to the proposed
wilderness, has said that ``the Wild Sky Wilderness will be the best
thing that ever happened in the valley.'' The cities of Monroe and
Snohomish, both located on Highway 2 on the way to the Wild Sky, have
passed resolutions of support.
The Wild Sky Wilderness Act has strong business support. REI, Inc.,
the Nation's largest consumer cooperative with its focus on the outdoor
adventure, is an endorser, as are David and Lynn Meier, co-owners of A
Stone's Throw Bed and Breakfast and A Cabin in the Sky vacation rental
just down the way from the wild Skykomish wilderness. Additionally, the
Snohomish County Economic Development Council supports this proposal.
This bill again marks the summit of a 5-year process of inclusiveness
and compromise. My staff and the staff of Senator Patty Murray, who is
the bill's prime sponsor in the Senate, have worked over the last 5
years to address local concerns. As a result of this community input,
the original idea of a 120,000-acre proposal has been whittled down to
the 106,000-acre bill that we are voting on today.
The spirit of compromise has been a constant in this bill's
development over the last 5 years. This past winter, as an example,
massive floods altered the path of the Skykomish River, displacing and
destroying parts of the primary road that snakes through the proposed
wilderness area. Immediately, Senator Murray and I brought together
Snohomish County, the Forest Service and local advocates to responsibly
adjust the boundaries of the proposed wilderness to ensure that the
road could be repaired and remain open in the future.
The spirit of compromise has earned the support of groups such as the
Washington Sea Plane Pilots Association, local tribes, the Wild
Steelhead Coalition, the Back Country Horsemen and the Washington
Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities. Additionally, my office has
received approximately 4,000 letters and e-mails in support of the Wild
Sky and a petition with over 10,000 names in support. Over 5 years of
collaboration and compromise has resulted in a bill that has gained
broad support in the best tradition of past Washington State wilderness
areas. It is time to create the next generation of Washington State
wilderness.
Finally, I want to thank Chairman Rahall and his staff, Jim Zoia and
Rick Healy, for their tremendous help and unwavering support for the
Wild Sky Wilderness Act.
Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I would like to submit the following
names for the Record. These people conceived, fine-tuned, negotiated,
along with many other people, the boundaries of the Wild Sky. Without
their tireless effort, we would not be here today, and we owe them our
thanks as well.
Mike Town, John Leary, Larry Romans, Tom Uniack, Rick
McGuire, Mark Lawler, Harry Romberg, Norm Winn, Don Parks,
Charlie Raines, Jon Owen, Michael Carroll, Jill Mckinnie,
Brandon Hall, Christian Gunter, Jasper MacSlarrow, Louis
Lauter, Doug Clapp, Abbey Levenshus, Charla Newman, Amanda
Mahnke, Kim Johnston, Jeff Bjornstad, Jaime Shimek, Karen
Waters, John Engber, Rachelle Hein, Cindy Lewis, Christy
Gullion, Nalani Askov, Michelle Ackerman, Jennifer Ekstrom,
Doug Scott, Bill Arthur, Doug Walker, Bill & Sue Cross, Bob
Hubbard, Conway Leovy, Mark Heckert, Kem Hunter, Aaron
Reardon, Peter Jackson, Tracy Nagelbush, Brian Bonlender,
Michelle Koppes, Dave Sommers, Amit Ronen, Carrie Desmond.
Finally I would like to thank the late Karen M. Fant, 1949-2006.
Throughout her adult life Karen spurred thousands of citizens across
the State of Washington to speak up for the protection of wild places
and wilderness. Early on Karen recognized the need to bring together
and involve local people in efforts to protect wilderness. To do so she
cofounded
[[Page H3408]]
and directed the Washington Wilderness Coalition. She was instrumental
in forming an effective statewide community of wilderness advocates. To
those who knew her, she provided never-ending inspiration and
enthusiasm to keep working for the goal of protecting wilderness and
wildlands in Washington State. Above all, Karen saw the potential and
opportunity in everyone to be involved, play an important role, and
make a difference.
Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Washington, a member of the committee, Representative Jay Inslee.
(Mr. INSLEE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. INSLEE. Mr. Speaker, this is wilderness the way wilderness is
supposed to be done. I want to compliment Congressman Larsen and
Senator Patty Murray for their efforts to shepherd and to fine-tune
this bill. If anyone wants to see how to do a wilderness bill, come see
how this one is done to take into consideration all of the local
comments to pare this down to where we have the muscle and bone in this
wilderness right now.
Boy, is it the right place to do it. I have a picture here of Gunn
and Merchant peaks looking north from Baring Peak. I climbed Baring
Peak, that is really just a little scramble, a couple of summers ago.
What is so amazing about the Wild Sky Wilderness, it is both wild, and
it is in the sky. It is only about 55 minutes from downtown Seattle.
{time} 1230
About 2 million people can drive to this incredible Wild Sky
Wilderness in about an hour, and it is a hidden gem. What you can say
is that we have a new hidden gem that has been protected in the State
of Washington to join the other jewels in the crown of our wilderness
and our National Park System in the State of Washington, and we invite
people to come out and see it. And if you come, what you will see is a
very virgin country very close to an urban area.
Millions of people drive by these mountains on Highway 2 and don't
even realize how wild this country is right to their left as they are
going east towards eastern Washington. There are hardly even any marked
trails in there. So if you want wild close to an urban area, come to
the Wild Sky Wilderness. It is a very, very wonderful place to go.
But there is a second reason I want to point out why this wilderness
is so important. The day I went up to the Baring Peak, I just happened
to meet a father and two of his sons he was taking for a hike. He told
me this is one of the earliest hikes going into Baring Lake. And if you
could see the smile on this dad and the sort of interesting looks on
these two kids, you know what wilderness is about, because today when
we establish the Wild Sky Wilderness, we are giving a gift to these
kids and their kids and their grandkids. So these kids could be in the
same position as dad has been, sometime, to have a wilderness to take
their kids and their grandkids to, and they will have the same smile on
their faces 100 years from now as this family did that summer day up on
Baring Peak.
I want to thank the people who have been involved in this, Mike Towns
specifically, a fellow who has been working on this for over 10 years.
He is a teacher in Redmond, Washington. I know he will have a big smile
on his face today, too. This is a great day for the continuation of
wilderness in the State of Washington. It is just south of the Jackson
Wilderness Area. It is a tradition that Congressman Larsen has followed
and Senator Jackson, and a proud tradition of wilderness in the State
of Washington. Congratulations.
Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Washington State, Representative Baird.
Mr. BAIRD. Mr. Speaker, I simply rise to congratulate my dear friend
and colleague, Congressman Larsen, for his tireless efforts on this.
This bill has been around for several Congresses. It has had wide
bipartisan support. And as my friend, Mr. Inslee, said, this was done
the right way. Mr. Larsen held countless hearings, met with virtually
every imaginable interest group. There were compromises, sometimes
difficult, sometimes painful compromises. But in the end, we have a
truly remarkable area of land set aside. And, Mr. Larsen, our friends
in the other body, Senator Murray and Senator Cantwell, worked very
vigorously on this, and I congratulate them. And, as Mr. Inslee did, I
also want to congratulate the many citizen groups who worked so hard on
this.
I encourage my friends on the other side to recognize that no bill
will be perfect, but this is about as good as you are going to get.
This is an area definitely worth preserving, and the people on the
ground support it, by and large. It is one thing to say that it is nice
for people to set aside wilderness in their own area and not other
areas, but doesn't that converse also apply in not opposing an effort
of someone to set aside a wilderness in his own area? I would think the
reasoning would suggest that it would, and I urge support from both
sides of the aisle on this.
I would just finally conclude with this. It is not possible for us to
construct or build new wildlands. We can't do that; it is not within
our power. What is within our power is to protect the small remaining
areas of wildlands for all the future generations. This legislation
does an admirable job of achieving this. I urge its passage, and I
commend my friend and colleague, Mr. Larsen, and the entire committee
for working on this.
Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
California, Representative McNerney.
Mr. McNERNEY. Mr. Speaker, before I give my remarks, I first want to
say that our thoughts and prayers today are with the students of
Virginia Tech and their families.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Wild Sky Wilderness Act
of 2007, and I thank my colleague, Mr. Larsen, and other members of the
Washington delegation for their hard work in moving this bill forward.
The Wild Sky Wilderness Act shows what we can accomplish when small
businesses, concerned citizens, and elected officials work to preserve
the environment.
The bill allows us to protect more than 100,000 acres of
environmentally sensitive land that includes habitat for species such
as the spotted owl and the bald eagle. Hikers, skiers, and fishermen of
future generations will enjoy the same pristine natural environment. As
we protect our country's great outdoors, we also protect some of the
greatest traditions.
Mr. Speaker, this bill is good for the economy, good for the
environment, and good for families. I hope my colleagues will support
this legislation.
Mr. INSLEE. Mr. Speaker, today I rise as a cosponsor of H.R. 886, the
Wild Sky Wilderness Act of 2007 to commend the House for taking long
overdue action on legislation to designate the Wild Sky Wilderness.
Today's approval of this well-drawn, meritorious environmental
legislation is long overdue. I want to thank Congressman Rick Larsen
and Senator Patty Murray for their tireless persistence on behalf of
their constituents as well as Chairman Rahall for his long standing
support for the Wild Sky and for bringing this bill to the floor.
As a Member of the House Natural Resources Committee, I have been
supportive of Congressman Larsen's attempts to designate this area as
wilderness and was continually frustrated at the failure of the
previous Chairmen of that Committee to move this legislation and
disappointed at the reasons given for inaction. Those arguments were
without merit.
One of the benefits of working on this legislation was learning of
the steadfast support from my constituents, the new Wild Sky Wilderness
will be a popular and well-loved addition to my state's heritage of
protected wild landscapes. It is overwhelmingly supported by my
constituents, who live nearby. Indeed, the new Wild Sky Wilderness is
within easy access of the people in the entire Puget Sound region.
This wilderness area, which is located in Snohomish County, enjoys
enthusiastic support from the county council as well as our elected
county executive. It also has the support of an overwhelming number of
local elected leaders throughout the county, Democrats and Republicans
alike, as well as a long list of local Snohomish County business
owners. Over the years that the Wild Sky Wilderness has been before
Congress it has earned enthusiastic editorial support from the local
newspaper, the Everett Herald, as well as the major newspapers in
Seattle and across the state.
I want to emphasize to my colleagues that in my State this is as
popular and non-controversial a proposal as it could possibly be. I am
pleased to mention the support this legislation enjoys from the
Administration, including
[[Page H3409]]
the Agriculture Under Secretary, who in response to my questioning said
that the President will sign this bill into law.
On top of its stunning wild character, the 106,577-acre Wild Sky
Wilderness is particularly noteworthy because it embraces lower
elevation lands than most of the existing Federal wilderness areas in
our State. As a result, the new wilderness will afford statutory
protection to headwaters streams and watersheds vital to the survival
and restoration of healthy runs of salmon and steelhead in the
Skykomish River, for which the area is named.
Passage of this legislation contributes to the important goal of
protecting a greater diversity of biological communities in our
National Wilderness Preservation System--including deep, forested
valleys as well as towering, ice-clad mountain peaks. This lower
elevation wilderness land will provide greater opportunities for year-
round recreational adventures for Washington State residents.
During the congressional consideration of this wilderness proposal,
our committee has dealt with a question that all too easily can mislead
those who are not familiar with the 1964 Wilderness Act and of the
consistent approach Congress has followed over four decades now in
applying the protection of that historic conservation law to additional
portions of our Federal lands.
As Congress acts on wilderness proposals such as this Wild Sky
Wilderness legislation, it is important that we take care to follow the
legislative history of the Wilderness Act of 1964, which was a
bipartisan product of our committee, and the precedents consistently
laid down over the subsequent more than four decades as Congress has
enacted more than 130 laws under both Democratic and Republican
leadership that have designated new wilderness areas across our
country.
It is clear that the Wilderness Act reserves to Congress alone the
decision as to what Federal lands are ``suitable'' for designation as
wilderness. Subsection 2(a) of the Wilderness Act specifies that ``. .
. no Federal lands shall be designated as `wilderness areas' except as
provided for in this Act or by a subsequent Act.'' Subsection 3(c)
further specifies that the President may make recommendations, but that
``A recommendation of the President for designation as wilderness shall
become effective only if so provided by an Act of Congress.''
Despite this full history of Congressional action, some tried to
question the inclusion of certain lands in the Wild Sky Wilderness
because these lands showed fading evidence of past logging, old roads,
and similar evidence of human use and impact. This objection, sometimes
referred to as the ``purity theory'' of wilderness, is not based on an
accurate understanding of the Wilderness Act and the intent of those
who enacted it.
The new Wild Sky Wilderness includes some evidence of past human uses
and impacts, including evidence of logging, old logging roads and
logging railroad grades, and some culverts installed along those roads
and railroad grades. In this way, it is no different than many
wilderness areas Congress has previously designated as wilderness.
During a debate here on the House floor in 1969, Representative
Morris K. Udall, the former chairman of our committee and himself one
of the architects of the Wilderness Act, explained this practical
approach intended by the authors of the Wilderness Act to the House:
It would be nice to have our national wilderness system
absolutely pure and completely free of any sign of the hand
of man. But the fact is that we are getting a late start in
this business of preserving America's wilderness. Logging has
occurred; wood roads have been opened and later abandoned;
cabins have been built which in time have decayed and fallen
down; in the interest of public health and safety and to
protect the natural resources there may sometimes be lookout
towers and patrol cabins. All of these are imperfections
within the wilderness. Yet how often is man able to create or
to establish anything which is truly perfect? Very, very
rarely--if ever. [Congressional Record, September 24, 1969]
Mr. Speaker, these remarks by Rep. Udall perfectly explicate the
practical approach that Congress has always followed as we choose lands
for protection in our National Wilderness Preservation System. He went
on to further explain that:
Congress has declared it is our national policy to preserve
America's wilderness resource. Whether some prior existing
imperfection--something less than absolutely purity--is to be
accepted into the national wilderness system should be
determined by whether its inclusion will significantly
contribute to the implementation of this national policy of
wilderness preservation or whether its omission will
significantly obstruct this policy. [Congressional Record,
September 24, 1969]
In keeping with the practical approach he has so cogently summarized,
I want to emphasize that some of the low elevation lands within the
Wild Sky Wilderness show evidence of past human use and impacts. We
have made a careful judgment that inclusion of these lands is important
to serve the overall purpose of wilderness protection. As chairman
Udall would have put it, every acre in the proposed Wild Sky Wilderness
exhibits ``substantially all the value of wilderness.'' We should
preserve it.
I would also like to take a moment to pay tribute to Ms. Karen Fant,
who devoted her life to preserving wilderness and wildlife in Alaska
and the Pacific Northwest. She spent four decades organizing for
conservation, working for groups including the Alaska Coalition, Sierra
Club, Olympic Park Associates, Wild Sky Working Group, Washington
Wilderness Coalition, and Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition. Her activism
spanned many years, crossed state lines, and extended as far as
Chongqing, China, where she dedicated herself to developing a strategy
to address environmental degradation in Asia as a board member of the
Seattle-Chongqing Sister City Association.
Karen was instrumental in passing the 1984 Washington State
Wilderness Act, which sets aside over one million acres of new
wilderness. She also initiated the efforts to preserve Wild Sky. I
cannot imagine a better way to honor Karen's conservation legacy than
for my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 886, the Wild Sky
Wilderness Act of 2007. Passage of this legislation is the perfect
tribute to Karen's legacy.
Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 886.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________