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Preservationists seek Rogue Valley acreage By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune Wilderness proponents are calling for some 400,000 acres of additional designated wild areas on Oregon's federal forestlands. The "Oregon Wild 2002" campaign, announced Wednesday night in Portland by the Oregon Wilderness Coalition, includes 25 areas in the state. Seven of the sites are in southwestern Oregon. The largest proposed for the region - and the state - is the 46,646-acre Zane Grey Wilderness, which would straddle the Rogue River downstream from the mouth of Grave Creek on the Medford District of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The next largest among those proposed in the region is the Soda Mountain Wilderness, covering 22,893 acres on the Oregon side of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. The other five are smaller parcels located in the Rogue River and Siskiyou national forests. Some would expand already existing wilderness areas. The wish list was presented at a wilderness forum hosted by 3rd Congressional District U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Portland. "These areas represent Oregon's heritage," explained Steve Marsden, director of the Illinois Valley-based Siskiyou Regional Education Project, before the forum. "Unfortunately, compared to the other states in the West, we've been neglecting our heritage," he added. About 3.6 percent of Oregon is currently protected as wilderness. In comparison, about 10 percent of all land in Washington state is designated wilderness while 13 percent of land in California has been set aside for wilderness, according to those supporting wilderness expansion in Oregon. "You can see with the way that Oregon is growing, if we don't protect wilderness now, it will be too late tomorrow," Marsden said. If designated, the areas would remain open to most recreation such as hunting, fishing and camping but would be closed to logging, new roads, mining, oil drilling and off-road vehicle use. The proposal is a pared-down version of an effort a year ago by a similar coalition to add 4.8 million acres of wilderness in 32 sites statewide. While that larger additional acreage remains the long-range goal, the smaller acreage has a chance of being designated this year, said Susan Ash of the Oregon Natural Resources Council. The coalition represents more than 130 conservation groups, 140 Oregon businesses and 50 elected Oregon officials, including Republicans and Democrats. Past efforts to enlarge the state's total wilderness acreage on public land drew the ire of the timber industry and other multipurpose-use activists who called it unnecessary, noting it would cost more industry jobs and reduce access to remote areas by motorized vehicles. But campaign backers, citing a Mellman Group Poll taken last month in Oregon that showed 60 percent support to set aside more wilderness in the state, believe this is their year. Election years, particularly those involving U.S. Senate races, have historically produced wilderness legislation, noted Dave Willis, chair of the Soda Mountain Wilderness Council. He cited wilderness acts which created 285,000 acres in 1978 and 829,000 acres in 1984, including the Red Buttes Wilderness in the Applegate River watershed. "When senators are up for re-election, they tend to remember the love Oregonians have for wilderness," he said. But Willis, a Greensprings resident who helped create the Cascade-Siskiyou monument, said those who want more wilderness in Oregon can't wait for elections. "The time for designating wilderness areas is running out," he said. "There are far fewer wild places in Oregon now than in 1984. The longer we wait, the more we will lose forever." The 4.8 million acres of potential but undesignated wilderness in the state is the last available, he said. "There ain't no more after that," he said. "All we do is incrementally lose it year after year." Joseph Vaile, campaign coordinator for the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center, agreed. That group, based in Ashland, is focusing on expanding the Red Buttes wilderness and changing its name to the Siskiyou Crest Wilderness. It also supports expanding the existing Wild Rogue Wilderness Area by creating the Zane Grey wilderness. "Many of the wild treasures of the state deserve to be protected as wilderness," he said. "Oregon and Oregonians deserve more wilderness." Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.