Winter 2017
Wilderness
Bob Hoehne
The Wild On Wilderness Committee “WOW” is a team of mostly volunteers working toward permanent wilderness protection of some of the back country areas of the Umpqua National Forest.
This effort is called “The Crater Lake Wilderness Proposal” since it also includes Crater Lake National Park. It would add a layer of wilderness protection for the park and the designated additions. The named areas outside of the park are the very headwaters of the North Umpqua, South Umpqua, Rogue and Klamath Rivers and part of the Deschutes River. Wilderness status will provide a number of economic benefits to Oregon. These include clean drinking water, essential habitat for fish and wildlife, outstanding opportunities for recreation, and scientific and educational research. Recreation itself is a major business in this state bordered by the ocean. Our forests and rivers have been evolving slowly over the millennia and deserve all we can do to protect them to ensure our survival. We know that most of the salmon and steelhead runs in the area are either threatened or endangered. One example is the barely surviving
Spring Chinook run on the South Umpqua River. This proposal will help ensure protection and survival of these forests which provide the cold clean water these fish need to survive. Readers have
many opportunities to volunteer and help out with this important and crucial project. Contact the Wild On Wilderness Committee of Umpqua Watersheds.
