Wilderness Update Spring 2024
by Diana Pace
Greetings as we prepare for the long-awaited spring. Bob Hoehne prepared the Four Ladies in Tennis Shoes history display and Rick Kreofsky got it beautifully framed. The four friends, Yvonne Krouse, Mary Powell, Alice Parker and Jeanne Moore, brought their findings to the U.S. Forest Service and convinced the agency to declare its 1,800 acres as a Natural Research Area in 1975. Due to the tireless research of the ladies, the Limpy Rock Research Natural Area (RNA) was established to represent ecosystems associated with a large number of special interest vascular plant species. Some of these are fairy slipper-Calypso bulbosa, ghost orchid, fawn lily, gnome plant, Kalmiopsis fragrans, and Lilium pardalinum. The display was at Steamboat Inn for the fall. Robbin arranged to have the history display at the library lobby for February. It looks great and is getting a lot of attention. The display will be at the library until May.
The culmination was an event on February 23 at the library ‘In the Footprints of Four Ladies in Tennis Shoes: A Case for Wilderness’. Our very
special guest was Jeanne Moore of the Native Plant Society and the sole survivor of the ladies. The evening was started by Jessie Jackson of the Takelma Cultural Center and Education Director for Cow Creek Tribe, with drums, flute, and prayer. Very inspirational. Wayne Chevalier, South Umpqua Trail Manager, regaled us with scientific information on the value and effect of wilderness to people. Susan Applegate shared information on natural resources and climate change. The culmination was a slide show by Bob Hoehne on the Crater Lake Wilderness Proposal highlighting major water sources of 5 rivers in the proposal and wildlife corridors. It was an impressive group of supporters, 86 attended, including some of the former Umpqua Wilderness Defenders group who got Boulder Creek Wilderness approved. Check the UW Facebook site for the recorded event being posted.
Diana reports on researching National Parks and Wilderness:
- Over 80% of all National Park Service Lands are managed as wilderness
- 50 national parks have designated wilderness- for example, Mount Ranier 97%, Yosemite 95%, and Death Valley 93% with intersecting roads
- Many national parks throughout the country manage their lands and waters as wilderness. These are valuable statistics for the Crater Lake Wilderness Proposal.
The committee has asked for a meeting with the Cow Creek Tribe Resources Committee to talk about the wilderness proposal and what they would need in the proposal. February 5th the committee met with Zac Otjen, local rep for Representative Val Hoyle, to inform him about the CLW Proposal. He was very interested and will be sharing the information with Rep Hoyle. We plan on re-engaging with the staff of Crater Lake National Park and Friends of Crater Lake to update on the committees’ activities and present the new slide show.
I want to praise and thank the fabulous Wilderness Committee for their dedication, particularly our UW veterans Bob Hoehne and Susan Applegate as well as Robbin Schindele, Connie Page, and Rick Kreofsky. Bob Allen is an esteemed grandfather of UW and the Wilderness Committee. His knowledge is exceedingly valuable.
Robbin is moving to Eugene but wants to stay on the committee and be involved with the work. We wish him well and will miss him. He’s been a great spirit and creator for the committee. I must express that this committee is very dedicated and firmly believes in our goal. The only thing missing is some young adults! Where are our future Bob and Susan dynamos?
Contact UW if you would like to help further this project. You are needed!
Wilderness Committee History from Bob Allen
Wowies song tune to the Whiffenpoof Song
To the tables down at Old Soul, to the place where M A dwells, to the dear old Brothers Pub we love so well. There the Wowies did assemble with their glasses raised on high, and the magic of their singing cast a spell. Tis the magic of their singing, of the songs we love so well, of the forests and rivers where we dwell. We will serenade our wilderness while life and voice shall last, then we’ll pass and be forgotten with the rest. We are poor little Wowies who are on our way; we are wild on wilderness every day Rah, Rah, Rah. Dedicated songsters off on a spree, music and work for eternity,
Lord have mercy on such as we, Rah, Rah, Rah.
