The U.S. Senate today approved the first key cloture vote on the Omnibus Public Land Management Act (S. 22), allowing a final vote on this important bill to proceed. Another cloture vote and a vote on final passage are needed before the package moves to the House for a vote. Following is a statement from Mike Matz, Executive Director of the Campaign for America's Wilderness:
Today's vote to move forward on a bipartisan lands package that designates more than two million acres of wilderness across nine state is a reflection of the dedicated perseverance exhibited by many Senators on both sides of the aisle acting in the best interests of a broad range of constituents, from county commissioners to Main Street business owners, members of the faith community to hunters and anglers. This is a marvelous gift to bequeath to those in future generations who will soon have the opportunity to enjoy the grandeur of the places protected in S. 22 as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System, Wild and Scenic River System, and National Landscape Conservation System.
Enactment of the 16 wilderness measures in S. 22 shows that with persistence and determination, our government does work for people, many of whom have spent years cultivating support to protect special places, better their communities, provide opportunities for all to enjoy and cherish these great American wild lands -- places such as eastern California's San Gabriel Mountains, Dominguez Canyon of western Colorado, Beaver Basin in Michigan, Copper Salmon River in Oregon, Virginia's ridges and valleys of the Shenandoah, and Utah's splendid Canaan Mountain.
We congratulate Sen. Harry Reid for his remarkable leadership in this first action by the 111th Congress, as well as Chairman Jeff Bingaman and the bipartisan support from the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the package sponsors. We look forward to final passage of this important measure soon.
We will then turn our attention to working with the House of Representatives to pass this omnibus lands package, so that the measure can be sent to the new President for his signature. It will be a most welcome action by many Americans who face so much uncertainty in their lives. It will be nice for them to know they can visit their most treasured spots and see them just as they are. They will be able to continue to hike, hunt, fish, camp, or canoe amid this natural splendor. And that is no small consolation in these difficult times.
Wilderness measures in the Omnibus Public Land Package include:
California:
- Eastern Sierra and Northern San Gabriel Wild Heritage Act, to preserve more than 450,000 acres of wilderness and 73 miles of wild and scenic rivers near Santa Clarita and in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Range, including the White Mountains.
- California Desert and Mountain Heritage Act of 2007, to protect some 190,000 acres in Riverside County as wilderness, including parts of Joshua Tree National Park.
- Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Wilderness Act of 2008, nearly 85,000 acres of wilderness, including the new John Krebs Wilderness, named for the former congressman and conservationist who fought to protect these lands in the Mineral King Valley.
Colorado:
- Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness and Indian Peaks Wilderness Expansion Act, to protect nearly 250,000 acres of Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park.
- Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area and Dominguez Canyon Wilderness Area Act, including protection for 66,000 acres of red rock sandstone canyons, cliffs, streams and waterfalls in western Colorado.
Idaho:
- Owyhee Public Lands Management Act, which will protect as wilderness 517,000 acres in Idaho's Owyhee-Bruneau Canyonlands.
Michigan:
- Beaver Basin Wilderness Act would permanently protect 11,739 acres of wilderness at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
New Mexico:
- Sabinoso Wilderness Act, to protect more than 15,000 acres in San Miguel County as wilderness. The area is one of the finest intact Great-plains ecosystems left in New Mexico.
Oregon:
- Copper-Salmon Wilderness Act, to protect 13,700 acres of pristine old-growth forest in Oregon's Siskiyou National Forest.
- Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness Act, to permanently protect more than 128,000 acres of national forest on Mount Hood in Oregon.
- Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument Voluntary and Equitable Grazing Conflict Resolution Act, to protect 23,000 acres in southeastern Oregon's Soda Mountain region.
- Oregon Badlands Wilderness Act of 2008 would protect nearly 31,000 acres of wilderness in the Badlands just east of Bend.
- Spring Basin Wilderness Act of 2008, to protect over 8,600 acres of wilderness overlooking the John Day Wild and Scenic River.
Utah:
- Washington County Growth & Conservation Act of 2008 would protect nearly 256,000 acres of wilderness in Zion National Park and the surrounding county.
Virginia:
- Virginia Ridge and Valley Wilderness and National Scenic Area Act, protecting 43,000 acres of the Jefferson National Forest as wilderness, and 12,000 as a national scenic area.
West Virginia:
- Wild Monongahela Act, to protect 37,000 acres in the Monongahela National Forest, including three new wilderness areas: Big Draft, Roaring Plains West and Spice Run.
