Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon’s congressional delegation is introducing new bills to protect wild areas of Mt. Hood, the Oregon Caves, and the Rogue River.  As Pete Springer reports, the "Oregon Treasures" legislation has taken years of negotiation and public input.

The Mt. Hood proposal will add 132,000 acres of wilderness.

This is something conservation groups have been fighting for for years.

Ralph Bloemers is an attorney who represents  more than a dozen conservation groups. He says the bill includes  additions to existing wilderness areas.

Ralph Bloemers: “And then there are some stand-alone areas that are large contiguous blocks of roadless lands that have special features, like rare stands of up to 800, maybe 900 plus-year-old trees on the upper Clackamas in the big bottom area.”

Bloemers says negotiations with ski resort Mt. Hood Meadows will mean a land swap that will protect about 4000 acres.

Ralph Bloemers: “On the north side, all the land that they own or control plus additional land will be converted either to wilderness or watershed protection designation.  And in exchange for equal value subject to appraisals done according to federal standards. Meadows will acquire up to 120 acres in Government Camp that has been zoned for development.”

A previous bill to expand the Mt. Hood Wilderness was blocked by Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn.

In addition to the Mt. Hood legislation, another bill is being introduced for the Rogue River and the Oregon Caves.

That bill proposes adding almost 80 more miles of Wild and Scenic River designation to the Roque, and adding more than 4000 acres to the Oregon Caves National Monument.