September marks the 40th anniversary of the national Wilderness Act. This September is also crunch time for Washington state’s most precious areas. Congress will either pass the bipartisan Wild Sky Wilderness Act to protect these areas, or attempts to carve up the legislation and exclude Washington’s most important areas from protection will be successful. Democracy demands a vote on the whole, intact legislation.
Washingtonians should be particularly proud of our positive role in the history of the landmark Wilderness Act. Sen. Henry M. Jackson was a prime mover of many of the landmark wilderness bills that Congress enacted. He did not stand alone in this effort. Washington Democrats and Republicans, like Sen. Dan Evans, and Reps. Rod Chandler and Norm Dicks, worked side by side to protect the special areas in our state.
This month we have an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of these Washington leaders and to truly recognize the 40th anniversary of the Wilderness Act by passing the Wild Sky Wilderness Act. This bill will designate more than 100,000 acres of Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest as wilderness. Through the leadership of Sen. Patty Murray, the bill has already passed in the Senate. With the active support of Sen. Maria Cantwell and a majority of the bipartisan Washington state congressional delegation, we are just steps away from making Wild Sky a reality.
In keeping with Washington state tradition, the Wild Sky Wilderness Act is the product of more than three years of public meetings, outreach to interested parties and compromise. It has broad bipartisan support among locally elected officials and is supported by community businesses and, most importantly, the people who live in and near the beautiful Skykomish Valley.
The Wild Sky Wilderness Act has been the subject of comprehensive hearings in the House and Senate. Those hearings have reinforced the need to move forward with the legislation. A Bush administration representative testified that the president will sign the Wild Sky Wilderness Act into law. A local resident, Mike Town, testified about the special places within the proposed wilderness – such as the towering 300-year-old trees of Hubbard’s Grove, the pristine waters of Trout Creek and the thickly forested banks of the North Fork Skykomish River – that hold the critically important low elevation forests which form the heart and soul of the Wild Sky.
Yet, as the last days of Congress rapidly approach, it has been suggested that the heart and soul of the Wild Sky is not “worthy” of wilderness protection and that some undefined, lesser designation is good enough to get the job done. We strongly disagree. Protecting the Wild Sky is not about second best or “good enough.” It is not about creating a new, weaker standard with Congress passing the buck to some unelected bureaucrat, who could then permit the logging of old growth trees, the construction of miles of new roads in pristine forests or the pollution of the rivers and streams of the Wild Sky country.
Protecting the Wild Sky is about getting the job done and getting it done right. It is about permanently protecting the low elevation forests and the streams and rivers so crucial to the area. It is about keeping this place special for Washingtonians to hunt and fish, hike, horseback ride, raft or to enjoy the solitude of the wilderness. It is about knowing that when Congress acts, the Wild Sky will be protected not only for this generation, but also for our children and grandchildren. Really protecting the Wild Sky is about designating the area as a wilderness. We are calling for a vote on the whole bipartisan legislation, not some piecemeal version that does not truly protect the jewels of our forests.
Wilderness designation has withstood the test of time over the past four decades in providing the most durable and consistent safeguards for our federal lands. We know what wilderness is and we know that it works. Areas such as the Alpine Lakes, Glacier Peak, Goat Rocks and Pasayten Wilderness Areas have been protected and are available for countless Washingtonians to enjoy each year.
This year, on the 40th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, it is time for the Wild Sky to join these other treasured Washington areas as our newest wilderness area.
Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Everett) represents the 2nd Congressional District, which includes most of Snohomish County and Island County. Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Bainbridge Island), represents the 1st District, which includes parts of south Snohomish County.
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