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Proposal would expand Oregon wilderness Sites include about a million acres in southwestern corner By PAUL FATTIG Following a year in which an army of volunteers walked the ground of proposed wilderness areas, conservation groups calling for more wilderness in Oregon announced specific sites on Tuesday. Those sites include roughly one million acres in southwestern Oregon as part of the Citizens' Wilderness Proposal. All told, the proposal would add 4.8 million acres of wilderness in 32 sites statewide. The largest expansion in the state would be a 359,000-acre addition to the 180,000-acre Kalmiopsis Wilderness in the Siskiyou National Forest. "These specific proposals were based on citizens going out and ground 'truthing' (verifying) these areas," said Joseph Vaile, biodiversity campaign director for the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center. "Until now, we were relying on computer-generated maps," he added. "Now we have specific acreage because citizens have been out there." The proposal was put together by citizens from around the state, said Susan Ash, the wilderness campaign director for the Oregon Natural Resources Council. "We've had well over 250 volunteers - wilderness adopters - go out on the ground and see where the boundaries should be," she said. "At a time when the direction from Washington, D.C. is to roll back federal forest protections, Oregonians are stating loud and clear that they want their pristine forests protected." Campaign backers, including the Siskiyou Regional Education Project, say they have the support of thousands of Oregonians as well as hundreds of businesses and other organizations. More than two dozen elected officials in Oregon have come out in support of the campaign, Ash said, adding that backers are now seeking support from Oregon's Congressional representatives. However, the campaign has drawn fire from the timber industry. When the campaign was announced early last year, industry representatives said it was unnecessary and would cost more industry jobs. About 4 percent of Oregon is currently dedicated as wilderness areas. The proposed additions would add another 8 percent. These proposed additions include: * 127,000 acres in the Rogue-Umpqua Wilderness, including portions of the Rogue River and Umpqua national forests as well as the Bureau of Land Management's Medford and Roseburg district. * 54,000 acres dubbed the Elk River Wilderness in the southwest corner of the Siskiyou forest. * 172,000 acres as an expansion of the Wild Rogue Wilderness, which includes a portion of the Siskiyou forest and the BLM's Medford District. * 180,000 acres, proposed as the Siskiyou Crest Wilderness, stretching from the Red Buttes Wilderness to Mount Ashland. * 18,000 acres, proposed as Soda Mountain Wilderness, including Pilot Rock and Boccard Point. * 20,000 acres, proposed as South Cascades Wilderness, including Pelican Butte and Brown Mountain in the Klamath Basin. 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.