The West of which I speak is but another name for the Wild; and what I have been preparing to say is, that in Wildness is the preservation of the World. Every tree sends its fibers forth in search of the Wild.
“Walking” (1855)
Henry David Thoreau
Completing a journey nearly as rocky as some of the land involved, Congress passed sweeping conservation legislation Wednesday that protects 200,000 acres of popular mountains and forests in Oregon and millions more nationwide.
The 285-140 House vote sent the 1,300-page public lands bill to President Barack Obama, who is expected to sign it as early as next week.
Advocates said the protections bestowed by the bill are the biggest advance in wilderness preservation in a generation — and the signal of a new era of congressional support for conservation.
The final law was a collection of 170 separate lands, parks and conservation bills — including some that lawmakers had been working on for decades — all balled into one. It establishes three new national parks (including one for the birthplace of President Bill Clinton in Hope, Ark.) and protects more than 1,000 miles of wild and scenic rivers and streams from development, including about 9 miles of rivers at the headwaters of the North Fork of the Elk River in Oregon.
The Oregonian
Wow. Raise a glass of Black Butte in toast.
While the bill touches every corner of the nation, its impact will be especially pronounced in Oregon. In addition to Mount Hood, the law will protect 13,700 acres of old-growth forest in Oregon’s Siskiyou National Forest, 23,000 acres in southwestern Oregon’s Soda Mountain region, nearly 31,000 acres of wilderness in the Badlands east of Bend, and 8,600 acres of wilderness overlooking the John Day Wild and Scenic River.
Could this be the best thing that has happened since Obama became president?