[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 54 (Tuesday, March 31, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E820-E821]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               OMNIBUS PUBLIC LAND MANAGEMENT ACT OF 2009

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. EARL BLUMENAUER

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 25, 2009

  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to vote ``yes'' on the 
Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009. This bill will designate 
more than 2 million acres of wilderness in nine states, including 
127,000 acres on Mt. Hood and in the Columbia River Gorge. It also 
includes wilderness protection for other Oregon treasures in the 
Cascade Siskiyou, Oregon Badlands, Spring Basin, and Copper Salmon 
areas.
  It is worth noting that in addition to wilderness on Mt. Hood, the 
legislation contains nearly 80 miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers, 
including stretches of Fish Creek, which contains crucial habitat for 
endangered fish, the East Fork of the Hood River, where wildlife 
habitat and low impact recreation opportunities abound, and Fifteen 
Mile Creek, another critical area for fish and wildlife, recreation, 
and scenic beauty. The bill designates 34,000 acres of new National 
Recreation Areas in the Mt. Hood National Forest and creates a long 
term transportation plan to address the challenges of getting to and 
from the mountain. It also directs the Forest Service to participate in 
three land conveyances. These exchanges will provide additional 
protection for the North side of Mt. Hood, the Pacific Crest Trail, and 
a parcel of land that is critical to the community in Clackamas County.
  In 2003, I worked with other members of the Oregon delegation to hold 
a Mt. Hood Summit at Timberline Lodge, inviting local stakeholders to 
share their vision for the challenges and opportunities facing the Mt. 
Hood National Forest. Over the past six years a committed group of 
citizens, organizations, Native Americans, local, state and federal 
jurisdictions, and private interests have spent countless hours 
negotiating a long term stewardship and protection plan for Mt. Hood's 
forests and rivers.
  Oregonians have worked tirelessly and waited years to have these 
treasured natural areas protected. I am extremely pleased that the hard 
work of so many committed local stakeholders is coming to fruition, and 
I hope that we pass this bill today and send it swiftly to President 
Obama for his signature.

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