Post by The Black Jeep on Jan 28, 2010 22:33:59 GMT -5
www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2010/01/wyden_merkley_propose_16000_ac.html
Oregon's two senators today proposed adding about 16,000 acres to the system of federally protected wilderness areas.
A land swap between private landholders and the federal Bureau of Land Management would create two new wilderness areas near the John Day River, Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said.
One of the landowners involved in the potential swap is the Christian youth organization Young Life, whose Washington Family Ranch camp near the town of Antelope occupies the former home of the followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh.
"Oregonians have a deep connection to their land," Wyden said. "This legislation will strengthen that relationship by creating two wilderness areas that will preserve these natural treasures for generations to come and will serve as a hopeful postscript to the saga of the Rajneeshee colony."
Under the proposal, which is subject to an appraisal, the BLM would receive approximately 8,821 acres in exchange for 12,323 acres going to Young Life and two other land owners to create the Horse Heaven and Cathedral Rock wilderness areas. The deal would also put a five-mile stretch of the river into public ownership.
Conservationists praised the proposal.
"It is tremendous," said John Crafton of the Redmond chapter of Oregon Hunters Association. "This proposal expands a few thousand acres of usable public lands into over 16,000 acres, and that is a huge benefit for wildlife because it creates wintering grounds for game animals where they are left alone to winter naturally."
A wilderness designation is the highest level of protection for federal lands and generally forbids motorized use or mechanized recreation, like mountain biking. Last year, federal legislation added over 200,000 acres of new wilderness areas to Oregon.
Oregon's two senators today proposed adding about 16,000 acres to the system of federally protected wilderness areas.
A land swap between private landholders and the federal Bureau of Land Management would create two new wilderness areas near the John Day River, Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said.
One of the landowners involved in the potential swap is the Christian youth organization Young Life, whose Washington Family Ranch camp near the town of Antelope occupies the former home of the followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh.
"Oregonians have a deep connection to their land," Wyden said. "This legislation will strengthen that relationship by creating two wilderness areas that will preserve these natural treasures for generations to come and will serve as a hopeful postscript to the saga of the Rajneeshee colony."
Under the proposal, which is subject to an appraisal, the BLM would receive approximately 8,821 acres in exchange for 12,323 acres going to Young Life and two other land owners to create the Horse Heaven and Cathedral Rock wilderness areas. The deal would also put a five-mile stretch of the river into public ownership.
Conservationists praised the proposal.
"It is tremendous," said John Crafton of the Redmond chapter of Oregon Hunters Association. "This proposal expands a few thousand acres of usable public lands into over 16,000 acres, and that is a huge benefit for wildlife because it creates wintering grounds for game animals where they are left alone to winter naturally."
A wilderness designation is the highest level of protection for federal lands and generally forbids motorized use or mechanized recreation, like mountain biking. Last year, federal legislation added over 200,000 acres of new wilderness areas to Oregon.
