Oregon needs more wilderness, according to the Eugene Register-Guard and Senators Merkley and Wyden. And we couldn't agree more! Conservation Alliance grantee the Oregon Natural Desert Association has been working hard to secure the Horse Heaven and Cathedral Rock Wilderness, and now we're one step closer.
From the Eugene Register-Guard:
"The proposed Cathedral Rock and Horse Heaven federal wilderness areas make up for their lack of size with the uniqueness of Oregon’s incomparable high desert, with its basalt cliffs and rolling hills of juniper, sagebrush and bluebunch wheatgrass. And a horizon that drifts into eternity.
Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley have proposed adding to the state’s wilderness inventory 16,000 acres of high desert near the John Day River in Central Oregon. A land swap between private landholders and the federal Bureau of Land Management would clear the way for congressional approval of the two new wilderness areas…
For a state known for its forests, mountains and rivers, Oregon has a surprisingly small amount of land designated as wilderness…
Even with the addition of these and other proposed wilderness areas, Oregon still would lag behind other Western states in the percentage of land protected as federal wilderness. Oregon needs more wilderness, and the high desert is an excellent place to start filling that need."
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This would be a huge victory for conservation and recreation in the Oregon high desert. To take action, please send letters of thanks and encouragement can be sent directly to:
Senator Jeff Merkley
One World Trade Center
121 SW Salmon Suite 1250, Portland, OR 97204
Tel: 503-326-3386
Fax: 503-326-2900
Senator Ron Wyden
700 NE Multnomah Suite 450
Portland, OR 97232
Tel: 503-326-7525
Fax: 503-326-7528