[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12861]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF THE LEWIS AND CLARK MOUNT HOOD WILDERNESS ACT OF 2008

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                          HON. EARL BLUMENAUER

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 18, 2008

  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to join my Oregon 
colleagues in introducing the ``Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness 
Act of 2008.''
  In 2003, we held the first 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 
five 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.
  Today, this legislation designates over 132,000 acres of Wilderness, 
almost 80 miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers, and 34,000 acres of National 
Recreation Areas in the Mt. Hood National Forest. It would create a 
long term transportation plan to address the challenges of getting to 
and from the mountain, establish a special watershed protection area 
for the Crystal Springs Watershed, focus on a forest-wide vegetation 
management strategy which includes biomass utilization, establish a 
working group to advise the Forest Service on recreation enhancements, 
respect Native Americans' treaty reserved gathering rights and honor 
the United States' cultural foods obligations to those Tribes. Lastly, 
the bill 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 keeping with the spirit of our well-established and participatory 
process, I look forward to working with our stakeholders as the 
legislative process moves forward. I hope that this bill is not the 
last word when it comes to protecting Oregon's most beautiful, scenic 
and at-risk places. I hope that the Natural Resources Committee will 
quickly schedule a hearing on it so that we can pass and implement it 
and begin working towards protection for other ``Oregon Treasures'' in 
the years to come.

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