“We applaud the Senate Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests for receiving
testimony today on two bills to protect nearly 290,000 acres of wilderness in New Mexico
and Oregon,” said Jim Mathews, Policy Specialist for the Campaign for America’s
Wilderness.
The Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks Wilderness Act will designate nearly 260,000 acres of
wilderness and create a 100,850-acre National Conservation Area around the Organ and
Doña Ana Mountains and parts of Broad Canyon. The bill designates 8 new wilderness
areas, including the Organ Mountains, Aden Lava Flow, Potrillo Mountains, and Broad
Canyon.
“This bill will forever protect some of New Mexico’s most wild and beloved public lands,”
said Mathews. “The magnificent Organ Mountains are an iconic symbol of the southwest
and a popular destination for people who enjoy hiking, hunting, camping, climbing and
horseback riding. Protection of these mountains will ensure they stay as they are – free
from encroaching roads, strip malls and houses – for future generations to enjoy.”
Also one step closer to passage today is the Devil’s Staircase Wilderness Act of 2009.
This legislation will protect nearly 30,000 acres in Oregon’s Coast Range as wilderness
and more than 14 miles of Wassen and Franklin Creeks as wild and scenic river.
“Devil’s Staircase is a remarkable site,” said David Dreher, Policy Specialist for the
Campaign for America’s Wilderness. “Waterfalls and plunge pools highlight a ‘staircase’
of carved sandstone in this remote, but wonderful landscape. Wilderness protection will
ensure that this area, which contains some of the finest examples of old growth forest left
in the Coast Range and the coast’s highest density of spotted owls, stays the way it is
forever.”
“We commend Senators Bingaman, Udall and Wyden for their leadership in seeking
wilderness protection for these remarkable areas, and look forward to seeing these
important bills become law,” said Dreher.
