[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5223-5224]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  LEWIS AND CLARK MOUNT HOOD WILDERNESS ACT OF 2004 DRAFT LEGISLATIVE 
                                PROPOSAL

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss a draft legislative 
proposal I have developed and am soliciting comment from people in my 
State to add 160,000 acres of new wilderness in the Mount Hood National 
Forest.
  The year 2004 is momentous for wilderness in Oregon. It marks the 
40th anniversary of the 1964 Wilderness Act and the 20th anniversary of 
the last Oregon wilderness bill. Perhaps most importantly, 2004 marks 
the bicentennial of the single most important exploratory committee 
ever launched by the Federal Government and that is the Lewis and Clark 
Expedition.
  One way to mark this very special time would be to enact a new Oregon 
wilderness bill, which I could conceive of as the Lewis and Clark Mount 
Hood Wilderness Act of 2004. In tribute to the great river-dependent 
journey of Lewis and Clark, I believe it would also be appropriate to 
add four free-flowing stretches of rivers to the National Wild and 
Scenic River System.
  In the last few years, Congress has protected some of my home State's 
most important treasures: Steens Mountain is now home to 170,000 acres 
of wilderness. The Little Sandy watershed is now part of the Bull Run 
Management unit and will help provide drinking water for over 700,000 
Oregonians. Soda Mountain has been designated a national monument. Fort 
Clatsop National Memorial has been expanded, and this year it may be 
designated as Oregon's second national park.
  The draft I have been discussing with my constituents would take a 
fresh look at protecting the lower elevation forests surrounding Mount 
Hood and the Columbia River Gorge. These forests symbolize the natural 
beauty of my home State. They provide the clean water for the 
biological survival of threatened steelhead, Coho, and Chinook salmon. 
These forests provide critical habitat and diverse ecosystems for elk, 
deer, and of course the majestic bald eagle. These are the forests that 
provide unparalleled recreational opportunities for millions of 
Oregonians and all of our visitors.
  Mount Hood is the highest mountain in my home State. Captain Clark 
described it as ``a mountain of immense height, covered with snow,'' 
while John Muir described Mount Hood a bit more poetically as ``one 
glorious manifestation of divine power.''
  ``Wy'East'' is the American Indian name for Mount Hood. Before Lewis 
and Clark came to what we now know as my home State, these forests and 
species they supported in turn supported native Indians for thousands 
of years. These are the forests that connect the high elevation 
snowfields with the rich, diverse lower valleys that produce our famous 
salmon which were described as so plentiful one could walk across the 
river on their backs.
  Although the history of Mount Hood and her environs are fascinating, 
the need to designate these areas as protected wilderness and wild and 
scenic rivers is best expressed by the very modern stories of increased 
pressures from development and recreational use that are at the heart 
of our State's future.
  The need to protect and build on Oregon's wilderness system that is 
as important now as it was in 1804, 1964, or 1984. There are currently 
189,200 acres of designated wilderness on the Mount Hood National 
Forest. I believe it would be appropriate this year, 2004, to discuss a 
draft bill which would almost double that amount by designating 
approximately 160,000 new acres of wilderness thereby lessening the 
pressures of overuse while also staving off the threat of development.
  Today, the economic role of these important public lands has shifted. 
Communities on the highway to Mount Hood often market themselves as the 
``Gateway to Mount Hood,'' and see this as a special opportunity to 
improve their tourism.
  They should. On weekends, crowds of Oregonians come out of the cities 
seeking a natural and often wild experience. In the 20 years that has 
elapsed since any new wilderness has been designated in the Mount Hood 
area, the population in the local counties has increased 
significantly--20 percent in my home county of Multnomah, 24 percent in 
Hood River County, and 41 percent in Clackamas County.
  With increasing emphasis on wild scenery, unspoiled wildlife 
habitats, free flowing rivers, wilderness, and the need for 
opportunities for diverse outdoor recreation, it seems to me that very 
often we are in jeopardy of loving our wild places to death. A few 
years ago, the Forest Service made a proposal to limit the number of 
people who could hike the south side of Mount Hood. I can tell you the 
public outcry was staggering.
  So it seems to me, rather than to tell people they are going to be 
restricted from using our public lands, the solution lies in providing 
more opportunities for them to enjoy our great places. I have heard 
from community after community that they fear a threat to their local 
drinking water or the need for further protections from development. 
Congressional statutory designation as wilderness provides the only 
real protection of the historic, scientific, cultural, environmental, 
scenic, and recreational values that contribute to the quality of life 
of which the people of my State are so proud.
  The protection of the special Oregon places is going to depend on the 
hard work and dedication of all Oregonians, and especially my 
colleagues in the Congress.
  I have had a chance already to discuss this with Senator Smith. He 
and I always work in a bipartisan way. As always, he has been very 
gracious with respect to saying he would work with me and will join me 
in listening to the people of Oregon.
  I have also been pleased today to be able to talk to Congressman 
Walden, who is the new chair of an important subcommittee who will be 
in a position to listen to the people of our State, take their ideas, 
and take their input on this draft. I also have talked to Congressman 
Blumenauer today, who represents the congressional district that I was 
so proud to represent for 15 years in the House of Representatives.
  I believe the four of us in particular will take the time now to 
listen to the people of our State, the county commissioners, the 
environmentalists, the entrepreneurs, the chambers of commerce, the 
Governor, various State-elected officials who have an interest in this 
issue, and other interested parties and work to try to get this 
important work done in the right fashion.
  I have been very proud to have been involved in two natural resource 
efforts in the last few years where people thought the polarization was 
so great that you could not get anything done. With respect to the 
county payments legislation Senator Craig and I teamed up on a matter 
that was absolutely critical to funding schools and roads. We worked in 
a bipartisan way, listened to people, and got an important piece of 
legislation passed.
  We did the same thing with respect to forest health legislation 
earlier in this Congress. People said we couldn't get a bill out of the 
Senate. A lot of people of good will, including the Presiding Officer 
tonight, came together and we got 80 votes for it in the Senate.
  When you listen to people, it is possible to get important natural 
resources legislation passed. I think it would be very appropriate to 
take the draft I am now circulating to the people of Oregon, spend the 
necessary time listening to people of our State, and turn it into 
legislation that could be considered formally by the Congress and 
perfect it in the coming weeks and days ahead. Congress ought to try to 
pass this legislation after listening to the people of my home State. 
The grandeur of Mount Hood and other Oregon treasures can be assured 
for future generations if we can come together and approach this in a 
bipartisan way.
  That is what I am committed to doing based on my conversations today 
with Congressman Walden and Congressman Blumenauer, the Members who are 
most affected by the legislation, and Senator Smith who has joined me 
so often. I am convinced our delegation is committed to doing this job

[[Page 5224]]

right, recognizing that 2004 is a momentous year for wilderness in our 
State.
  I would very much like to see the people of our State, working with 
our congressional delegation, coming together and passing a Lewis and 
Clark Mount Hood Wilderness Act of 2004. We have a lot of work ahead of 
us in the days ahead, but we are committed to approaching this in a 
responsible and bipartisan fashion. I want to tell the people of my 
State I think it would be exciting to make sure that we could take 
steps in this session to ensure that, for the millions who will come to 
visit Mount Hood in the days ahead, we have acted to preserve the 
grandeur of this spectacular treasure.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, in a few minutes we will be closing for the 
evening, but over the next several minutes I would like to comment on a 
couple of events from today, and then, in closing, we will talk a bit 
about what to expect over the next several days and next week.

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