We cheer Chairman Grijalva and the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands for hearing testimony today on the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Additions and Pratt and Middle Fork Snoqualmie Rivers Protection Act. This is an important step in ensuring that one of the nation's most popular wilderness areas is protected for future generations to continue to enjoy.
Just a short drive from urban Seattle, Alpine Lakes truly is a "backyard wilderness," providing world-class recreational opportunities for hiking, rafting, camping and kayaking and critical habitat for cutthroat trout, elk and mountain goats. Protection of this area will ensure the region's clean water and healthy environment.
The Alpine Lakes Wilderness additions are some of the region's most important low-elevation forests and contain incredible glacier valleys, beautiful snow-capped peaks, old-growth forests and strong native trout runs. These additional roadless lands are an important component to the existing 394,000 acre wilderness area.
We thank Representative Reichert for his leadership to protect 22,100 acres of wilderness and designate nearly 40 miles of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie and Pratt Rivers as Wild and Scenic.
