Conservationists tell county to back Wilderness bill
August 6, 2008
 

News staff writer

Conservationists urged the Hood River County Commission Monday to give immediate support to a plan that expands Wilderness on Mount Hood.

Resident Tom Penchoen told the commission that the “transformable value of Wilderness was incalculable.”

“If we don’t safeguard a good chunk of it now we are losing probably our last chance to do so,” he said.

Penchoen was one of 10 audience members who testified in favor of the bill known as Oregon Treasures. The Hood River Valley Residents Committee was represented, as well as Oregon Wild, the Cooper Spur Wild and Free Coalition and Columbia Riverkeeper.

People in attendance who had already commented in July were not allowed to speak again. They were given the option by Commission Chair Ron Rivers to submit further testimony in writing.

The commission drew fire from many audience members for not making a declaration of support that evening. Rivers said Congress would not be in session for another month and the local government needed time to learn more about how the Oregon Treasures package would affect its constituents. The bill adds 132,000 acres of Wilderness to the existing 186,200 acres on Mount Hood.

He said the commission would decide if four areas of concern had been addressed by Sept. 2. He said testimony would be taken, both written and oral, throughout the month of August.

“I’m trying to keep this an open and democratic process,” Rivers said. “We’re not against the bill but we need some clarification on a couple of issues.”

District 2 Commissioner Maui Meyer said Oregon Treasures was introduced in the spring without field hearings. The new master plan for Mount Hood is co-sponsored by U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., and Peter DeFazio, D-Ore.

The bill sets aside 7,000 more acres of Wilderness than another piece of pending legislation that was introduced last year by U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Gordon Smith, R-Ore.

In 2006, the county gave full support to a bill that added 58,000 acres of Wilderness and contained specific language to safeguard county interests. That legislation was co-sponsored by Blumenauer and U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore. The bill, crafted after three years of public forums, was approved unanimously by the House but never moved forward by the Senate.

“Even though this bill walks and talks a lot like the Walden and Blumenauer bill, there hasn’t been the same process. So, it is important to gather input,” said Meyer.

Resident Scott Franke said Oregon Treasures was a compromise plan that would not give every stakeholder exactly what he/she wanted. He said, nevertheless, the bill should be supported because it provided the framework for greater resource protection.

“I think everybody has to accept the fact that it’s not a perfect bill,” he said.

Erik Fernandez, Wilderness coordinator for Oregon Wild, challenged Rivers for saying that the commission remained undecided when the elected body had already sent Congress an opposition letter in June.

“You wrote a letter saying, ‘We are opposed to it’ and now you tell us you are not against it. I’m struggling with that,” said Fernandez.

“Don’t struggle because we need to take more input. We might get the answers that we need,” said Rivers.

In a follow-up interview, he clarified that the county has never stated opposition to Oregon Treasures. He said the commission has informed Oregon’s Congressional delegation that its support for the bill is tied to “assurances” in these areas of concern:

“We have a responsibility to all of the citizens that we serve to make a decision that is well researched and in their long-term best interests,” said Rivers.