[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 41 (Thursday, March 17, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1831-S1832]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. WYDEN (for himself and Mr. Merkley):
  S. 607. A bill to designate certain land in the State of Oregon as 
wilderness, to provide for the exchange of certain Federal land and 
non-Federal land and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Recources.
  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, today I rise to introduce Wilderness 
legislation to protect two of Oregon's natural treasures. This bill is 
a reintroduction of legislation that I introduced in the last Congress 
and I am pleased that Senator Merkley is again joining me in 
cosponsoring this legislation. Significant progress was made in the 
last Congress in moving the bill towards passage, but unfortunately it 
failed to get passed before the Congress ended. The legislation I 
introduce today reflects the work I undertook with the Energy and 
Natural Resources Committee and the Bureau of Land Management to 
prepare the bill for markup in the Energy and Natural Resources 
Committee.
  The Cathedral Rock and Horse Heaven Wilderness Act of 2011 will do 
more than simply protect these areas. It will also help Oregon's 
economy, because visitors from all over the world come to my State to 
experience first-hand the unique scenic beauty of place like the lands 
preserved by this bill.
  This legislation will consolidate what is currently a splintered 
ownership of land in this area and protect 17,340 acres of new 
Wilderness along the Lower John Day River. This is even more Wilderness 
than originally in the legislation I introduced in the last Congress. 
Thanks to an additional land exchange it was possible to add additional 
lands to the Wilderness proposal. The fractured land ownership in this 
area makes it difficult for visitors to fully appreciate these areas 
when they hike, fish or hunt there because of the scattered and 
misunderstood lines of private and public ownership. This bill will 
solve that problem and make these lands more inviting to visitors while 
giving the landowners more contiguous property to call home.
  The area in question is stunning. The Cathedral Rock and Horse Heaven 
Wilderness proposals encompass dramatic basalt cliffs and rolling hills 
of juniper, sagebrush and native grasses. These new areas build on the 
desert Spring Basin Wilderness that was established last Congress as a 
result of legislation I introduced, and are located directly across the 
John Day River from Spring Basin.
  With 500 miles of undammed waters, the John Day River is the second-
longest free-flowing river in the continental United States and is a 
place that is cherished by Oregonians. The Lower John Day Wild and 
Scenic River offers world-class opportunities for outdoor recreation as 
well as crucial wildlife habitat for elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep and 
native fish such as salmon and steelhead trout. Through land 
consolidation between public and private landowners, this bill will 
allow for better management and easier public access for this important 
natural treasure. With the current fragmentation of public and private 
land ownership in the area, river campsites are limited. Many Federal 
lands among them can't be reached by the hikers, campers and other 
outdoors recreationists who could most appreciate them. With the equal-
value land exchanges included in this bill, public lands would be 
consolidated into two new Wilderness areas. This would enhance public 
safety, improve land management, and increase public access and 
recreational opportunities. This solution will create an incredible, 
new heritage for public lands recreationists

[[Page S1832]]

who are an important factor in keeping Oregon's economy healthy and 
thriving.
  Rafters of the John Day River can attest to the need for more 
campsites and public access to the Cathedral Rock area. Backcountry 
hunters will be able to scan the hillsides for elk, deer and game-birds 
without having to worry about accidentally trespassing on someone's 
private land. Anglers will be able to access nearly 5 miles of the John 
Day River that today are only reachable from privately owned lands. 
Likewise, such a solution ensures that local landowners can manage 
their lands effectively without running across unwitting trespassers.
  One good example of the value of these land swaps is Young Life's 
Washington Family Ranch. This Ranch is home to a Christian youth camp 
that welcomes over 20,000 kids to the lower John Day area each year. 
This bill sets out private and public land boundaries that on the 
ground and these boundaries create a safer area for campers on the 
Ranch; this serves the children who visit the area well and ensures the 
continued viability of the Ranch, which, in turn, provides big economic 
dividends to the local community.
  The Cathedral Rock and Horse Heaven Wilderness proposal is described 
as ``win-win-win'' by many stakeholders--nearly 5 miles of new river 
access for the public and protected land for outdoor enthusiasts; 
better management for private landowners and public agencies; and 
important habitat protections for sensitive and endangered species. 
This proposal is an example of the positive solutions that can result 
when varied, bipartisan interests in a community come together to craft 
solutions that will work for everyone. All three of the counties 
involved in this legislation, Wheeler, Wasco and Jefferson, have 
endorsed this proposal as well as a number of user and recreation 
groups. I especially want to thank the Oregon Natural Desert 
Association, Young Life and Forrest Reinhardt, and Matt Smith for their 
role in developing this collaborative solution that will benefit all 
Oregonians.
  Oregon's wildlands play an increasingly important role in the 
economic development of our state, especially in traditionally rural 
areas east of the Cascades. Visitors come from thousands of miles away 
to hike, fish, raft and hunt in Oregon's desert Wilderness. Beyond 
tourism, the rich quality of life and the diverse natural amenities 
that we enjoy as Oregonians are key to attracting new businesses to 
Oregon. The Cathedral Rock and Horse Heaven Wilderness areas will help 
make sure that this rural area will enjoy the benefits that permanently 
connecting these disparate pieces of natural landscape will bring for 
generations to come.
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