Press Releases

Senate passes Wilderness Bill

[January 16th, 2009]

Hood River Valley Residents Committee (HRVRC) are celebrating a vote today in the United States Senate that cleared the way for introduction of the Mount Hood wilderness bill to the House. The 73-21 vote by the Senate would add 128,000 acres of wilderness designation and 79 miles of wild & scenic rivers to the area around Mount Hood, as well as adding wilderness protections elsewhere in Oregon and in eight other states. The successful vote was a long awaited victory for Senator Ron Wyden who, along with Senator Gordon Smith, has worked on versions of the wilderness bill for years.

Mike McCarthy, pear orchardist and longtime HRVRC Board Member said “This is a significant step forward in protecting the wild north side of Mount Hood. We are hopeful of a rapid passage of this bill in the House so we can get to work in completing the land swap.” The “land swap” is shorthand for the portion of the wilderness bill that incorporates an agreement negotiated between the HRVRC, Mount Hood Meadows and Hood River County that is intended to protect more than 2,500 acres of the north side of Mount Hood, including the Crystal Springs watershed and the historic backcountry recreational area Tilly Jane, while allowing development adjacent to the town of Government Camp.

Scott Franke, Board Member of HRVRC, worked with Mike McCarthy on advancing the “land swap” for years. Franke: “We are very pleased at the rapid advancement of the wilderness bill in the 111th Congress. The winds of change in this new administration have us confident that passage of the wilderness bill will ensure significant additional protection of Oregon’s iconic Mount Hood – especially Hood River County’s wild and scenic north side.”

HRVRC, a 31-year-old land use advocacy non-profit composed of 150 dues-paying member families and thousands of supporters, has worked on protecting the north side of Mount Hood since it was formed. The current effort that led to the proposed “land swap” section of the wilderness bill began with an HRVRC offer in mid 2003 to put litigation on hold that it had filed to block development of lands on the north side of Mount Hood by Meadows in order to attempt to negotiate a settlement. The negotiated settlement could only be achieved by an act of Congress, and the parties have worked for years to see it enacted in connection with a Mount Hood wilderness bill.