It was a battle waged over the same time period as the Civil War but the U.S.
Senate ultimately prevailed in passing legislation that permanently protects
more than 200,000 acres of wilderness area around Mount Hood and other
locations in the state.

Authored by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the Omnibus Public Land Management
Act of 2009 was pushed through the 111th Congress in a special Senate
session called on a Sunday, Jan. 11.

"After five years and well over a hundred meetings the Senate has finally
overcome the procedural hurdles that have delayed action to safeguard some
of Oregon’s most special places," Wyden said. "Countless Oregonians,
including (former) Senator Gordon Smith, worked tirelessly and in a bipartisan
fashion to protect these natural treasures which define Oregon as one of the
most beautiful states in the union."

Newly elected Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) cast his first vote in the U.S. Senate
in support of moving forward the legislation.

"Oregonians are rightly proud of our long tradition of protecting our natural
treasures for future generations," Merkley said. "This bill gives that effort a
boost by expanding protections for some of the most iconic and special wild
areas of our state. I wish this bill had passed sooner, but I am very proud to
be able to cast my first vote in support of Oregon’s natural resources."

The act passed by a convincing 66-12 margin, despite some objections from
senators over the rare Sunday session.

Passage of the act had been blocked by a single senator, Tom Coburn (R-
Okla.), but the new Senate was able to overcome the 59-vote requirement to
overcome a filibuster.

Besides the Mount Hood wilderness area, the act also includes Copper Salmon
wilderness, Oregon Badlands wilderness, Spring Basin wilderness and the
Cascade Siskiyou National Monument.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) stood in support of the Senate’s action to
expand Mount Hood wilderness by 127,000 acres plus 79 miles of wild and
scenic rivers around the mountain.

"Three years ago we passed the first Mount Hood wilderness bill in the House,
and Oregonians have been waiting a long time for this moment," Blumenauer
said. "I am extremely pleased that the Senate has succeeded in invoking
cloture for wilderness legislation for Mount Hood and other Oregon areas. I
will urge my colleagues in the House to pass this package swiftly and send it
to President Obama for his signature."

Locally, the wild and scenic river designations will be felt on sections of the
Sandy and Zigzag rivers. Don Mench, of Zigzag, a member of the Mount Hood
Corridor CPO and the Sandy River Basin Watershed Council, has been working
toward this local river designation and sees the act as an important moment
for the Mountain community.

"It’s an exciting time in the basin," Mench told The Mountain Times. "We’ve
been working on this for a long time. It’s a big step and we don’t want to
screw it up. We’re not partying yet, but ..."

Mench cited work that he and his groups have done over the years to prepare
for the wilderness expansion.

"We’ve worked closely with boaters, recreation enthusiasts, loggers, mountain
bikers," he said. "For instance, the boundaries have been drawn so that
mountain bike trails go right up to the edge of the wilderness area."

The act will also provide a land transfer in the Government Camp area. For
land in Cooper Spur the government will exchange approximately 120 acres
around Government Camp to the Mt. Hood Meadows LLC.