Home to thousands of plant and wildlife species, national forests in Oregon are also the source of clean water for many Oregon cities and towns. These forests are becoming more important as more and more people move to Oregon and as finding solitude in a wilderness setting becomes more and more difficult. Hundreds of miles of logging roads already fragment much of the Oregon landscape. We must protect the undeveloped landscapes that remain.
Oregon's Public Estate
Just under half of Oregon's 61.5 million acres is public land. Within that public estate are 2.2 million acres that the Congress has permanently protected as part of the National Wilderness Preservation system. Much more deserves protection.
Even after 100-plus years of clearcutting, there are today approximately 4 million acres of forested roadless areas on Oregon's public lands. These are areas of over 1,000 acres in extent and without logging roads or others. They occur across Oregon's 13 National Forests. For the most part they are unprotected.
Many of these are wilderness by any definition and should also become part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Others, while they may not qualify as wilderness, possess scientific, recreational, wildlife or scenic values that merit either congressional attention or careful handling by the management agencies responsible for them.
As Oregon's population grows, and as people more and more feel the need to retreat at intervals from the pressures of urban life into the solitude of wilderness settings, these natural places become even more important.
Our Campaign
The Wilderness Society is partnering with the Oregon Wild campaign to develop broad public support for protection of these special places -- places like Rough and Ready Creek on the Siskiyou National Forest and Murderers Creek on the Malheur National Forest and more.
At Stake
Among the areas at stake in the Oregon Wilderness Campaign:
Lookout Mountain
At 19,248 acres, this area abounds in ecological diversity. It protects a fine ancient ponderosa pine stand that is easily accessible by the public. There are 28 different plant communities on Lookout Mountain, as well as important habitat for elk and mule deer. Popular with hikers, skiers, snowshoers and bird watchers is a 7-mile trail that winds to the top of the mountain where it affords views of 11 major Cascade peaks.
Rough and Ready Creek
Conservationists propose this as an addition to the Kalmiopsis Wilderness Area in southwest Oregon. Rough and Ready Creek is a wild river with exceptional clarity as if flows through the area. The landscape here is rich in minerals, which account for its unique geology and ecological diversity. Ancient Jeffrey pines and Port Orford cedar grow here, along with native bunch grasses and wild azalea. In all, the area supports 300 plant species. A major threat to this 20,603-acre wilderness addition is a nickel mining proposal.
Murderers Creek
The 45 miles of trail in this eastern Oregon area offer solitude and plenty of recreational opportunities. Hiking and hunting are among them. Bighorn sheep range here. Old growth pine and fir, steelhead and native trout and wild horses are also found in this proposed wilderness area's 36,219 acres.
Big Bottom
On the Upper Clackamas River in the Mt. Hood National Forest is the Big Bottom proposed wilderness. It is small, but it is exceptionally rich. Its 1,153 acres include a classic old growth forest of cedars, Douglas firs, western hemlock and grand fir. Here, too, is Oregon's largest living western red cedar, measuring 36 feet in circumference. Pacific yews are common. This is spotted owl country. The area provides important wintering ground for deer and elk and provides quality water for coho salmon, steelhead and bull trout.
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