Republican Sen. Gordon Smith on Thursday endorsed a Democratic plan to create federal wilderness protection for nearly 14,000 acres of national forest land along Oregon's southern coast.
The Copper Salmon Wilderness proposed by Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Peter DeFazio would protect 13,700 acres of coastal forest and salmon streams at the headwaters of the Elk River near Port Orford.
The Democratic lawmakers said the bill would prevent logging, mining and road building in the designated area, but allow hunting and fishing to continue.
The proposed wilderness is part of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest and is considered one of the best habitats on the West Coast for chinook salmon, winter steelhead, coho salmon, cutthroat trout and rainbow trout.
Wyden's chief of staff, Josh Kardon, welcomed Smith's endorsement, which he called "critical" to the bill's passage.
Wyden and Smith have proposed separate legislation designating an additional 125,000 acres around Mount Hood as wilderness. That bill is pending in the Senate.
Smith, in a statement, said he was optimistic that a number of questions about the Copper Salmon plan would be resolved, including boundaries of the proposed wilderness and access to the area by the Coquille Indian Tribe.
"I want to be sure that cultural gathering activities are not impeded by a wilderness designation," Smith said, referring to the tribe.
Joel Holtrop, the Forest Service's deputy chief of the national forest system, testified that the proposed wilderness would not affect the tribe's access rights.
Port Orford Mayor Jim Auborn and Jim Rogers of Friends of the Elk River also testified in favor of the bill.
