Wilderness News Releases

Doug Scott, the Campaign's Policy Director, and one of the nation's leading wilderness historians, has been on the move talking about his new book, Our Wilderness: America's Common Ground. Speaking to groups about the history of the wilderness movement and sharing his photographic tribute to America’s amazing wild places, Doug takes questions, shares stories and brings to life the message of his book — the need to protect our last best wild lands for future generations to use and enjoy.

Members of the Public Lands and Forests Subcommittee (Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee) heard testimony today on The El Rio Grande del Norte National Conservation Area Establishment Act (S.874) which will protect public land in northern New Mexico.

Devil's Staircase; © Dave Tvedt

Representative Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR)  today introduced a measure to permanently  protect nearly 30,000 acres of Oregon's prized Devil's Staircase area as wilderness.  Devil's Staircase is located on Wassen Creek in Oregon's Coast Range between the Smith and Umpqua Rivers, and is considered  by some  to be the most remote location in the entire state.  This "staircase" of waterfalls with plunge pools carved into the sandstone is a spectacular site, and  well  worth the effort to experience it.

Ute Mountain

Senator Jeff Bingaman, Chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, today introduced the "El Rio Grande Del Norte National Conservation Area Establishment Act," to conserve and protect some 235,000 acres northwest of Taos, New Mexico, as a conservation area, including more than 21,000 acres of designated wilderness.

Pam Nelson of Riverside County, California is being honored by the Campaign for America's Wilderness and The Wilderness Society as a "Wilderness Hero" for her efforts to protect Beauty Mountain.

Today's introduction by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Congressman David Reichert (R-WA) of a bill to protect more than 22,000 acres of wilderness adjacent to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area in Washington State, as well as designate parts of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie and Pratt rivers as "wild and scenic" was praised by Jon Owen, Deputy Campaigns Director of the Campaign for America's Wilderness.   

"Senator Murray and Congressman Reichert are continuing the proud Washington State tradition of finding common ground and then protecting it," said Owen.

Press conference after bill passage;
© Jim Mathews

The House of Representatives, by a vote of 285 to 140, today passed the Omnibus Public Land Management Act. Containing 16 wilderness bills, which protect more than two million acres of treasured landscapes across nine states (view map), the Omnibus Public Land Management Act is the largest public land protection measure passed by Congress in more than fifteen years. It moves now to the president’s desk for his signature into law.

Washington, DC - The U.S. Senate today passed the Omnibus Lands bill, which contains 16 wilderness bills protecting more than two million acres of public land across nine states, by a vote of 77 to 20.  The approval of the Senate sends the package over to the House of Representatives for what should be a final vote before the measure heads to the White House for President Obama's signature.

We applaud the House leadership and our Republican champions for trying to move the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 as expeditiously as possible, and thank them for their diligence in rallying members to approve this bipartisan measure which has the support of Americans from all walks of life, as evidenced by the 282 to 144 vote in favor of the measure. However, the Omnibus public lands package fell two votes short of the requisite two-thirds threshold, so although a majority of members of Congress do support this important piece of legislation, it appears as though it will need to move through Congress under a different process.

We will work closely with key leaders in the House of Representatives to move ahead, and greatly appreciate their herculean efforts to this point to act on the will of the people to protect their special places.

Oregon Badlands; © Greg Burke

The U.S. Senate today by a vote of 73 to 21 approved the first wilderness measures of the 111th Congress as part of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act (S. 22), sending the bill to the House of Representatives. Mike Matz, Executive Director of the Campaign for America's Wilderness, said of the vote: