Misery Loves Company

or rather I love Misery!

I love the Blues and I love Misery! Let me explain. That is, I love the Blue Mountains of southeastern Washington and the Mount Misery Trail which traverses them. I just got back from a week long trip in eastern Washington which had me pitching my books in Kennewick, Spokane, and Chelan and hitting the trail doing research for my Backpacking Book in the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness and the Salmo-Priest Wilderness. These two federally prtoected wilderness areas are among only three wilderness areas (the other being Juniper Dunes) in all of eastern Washington. But both the Salmo-Priest and the Wenaha-Tucannon are among the wildest of all of our wildernesses. I spent 19 miles hiking the Mount Misery highline one day in which I only encountered a couple of hunters setting up their camps for opening day. On my drive out, just past the trailhead I watched in amazement a cougar trot across the road! It was the first time in my 20 years hiking the trails of Washington state that I finally witnessed one of these large and impressive beasties. Glad I saw it from behind the wheel than in front of my boots! I'm a cat person, but who knows how the cougar feels about it. And I'm a UW grad too, and I was deep in cougar country so it was best to lay low! Seriously though, if you haven't hiked yet the mile high ridges and crusied above the deep canyons of the Blues-a truly unique section of our state -you are in for a real treat. But avoid this place in the height and heat of summer. Fall is best! But Fall is when this area sees the most human visitation-the hunting here is legendary. Wear your orange and hike away the blues today!

Bootleg Trails
Embrace them or give them the boot?

While researching my Day Hiking Columbia Gorge Book last week, my hiking partners, wife Heather and brother Doug discovered a new trail to an excellent viewpoint. Boy were we excited. We had heard about this great viewpoint and that it was possible to reach it by heading off trail through the woods. I told the crew to keep their eyes out at the height of land for a possible way path. What we found instead was a signed trail. How cool is that? We followed the half mile path to windswept outcropping granting an excellent view of the unblemished watershed below us as well as of Mounts Hood, St. Helens, and Adams.

Turns out though-we found out afterwards from the trailcrafter himself, that this trail is a bootleg. Yep. Never designed and never authorized by the Forst Service. Now ain't that interesting? The trailcrafter is someone with a solid commitment to trail organizations in the state and one who has little love for the agency who manages (and it could be said today, barely manages) this property hosting this trail. But, the trail was built in essence, illegally. It is in a federal wilderness areas. However, a trail once accessed this viewpoint, an old lookout site, from another direction and was like so many other trails abandoned by the Forest Service. And there was a waypath already in place, one that had been followed by scores of people. All this trail builder did was merely cut back some brush and put up a sign. Isn't that better than having 100s of view seekers blazing their own paths to the viewpoint?

I often wonder if it sometimes better to incorporate some of these well trodden boot paths and make them official to help stem the rise of multiple trails heading to the same place. Just look at any popular "official trailess" lake basins. Wouldn't it be better to adopt one trail, improve it and make it part of the trail inventory than having scores of trails crisscrossing fragile heather meadows?

But then again, isn't this (building unauthorized trails) what some renegade motorcyclist and mountain bikers are doing? And despite the fact the Forest Service is pretty much a worthless entity these days when it comes to patrolling, maintaining and protecting our resources, does that mean we private citizens should step in take these lands into our own hands even if it means violating laws to build new trails without the cumbersome (and some might add needless procedures) required to build a trail? Many would argue that no harm was done by "improving" this trail to this lookout. Others would point out that this trail mars the wilderness. Some would say-good, we need new trails and the Forest Service isn't doing much of anything these days. Others would say that the wilderness doesn't need any new trails. But either way, a well defined way path was in existence before and its presence was in essence not violating any laws beforehand. Does putting up a sign and cutting back some brush change the entire situation? Your thoughts? Yay? Nay? Is this trailbuilder doing us hikers a public service or denigrating the wilderness?

Hidden Wilderness?

Try the East Humboldt!

In reference to Lauren Braden's WTA Signpost blog post today about Hidden Wilderness, if you really want to sample a hidden wilderness in the lower 48, try the East Humboldt in northern Nevada. Unlike the nearby more popular 93,000 acre Ruby Mountain Wilderness (a spectacular place and one of my favorite hiking haunts) the smaller East Humboldt Wilderness protects 36,000 acres of the East Humboldt Range and sees nary a soul. Perhaps that it is pushing 90 degrees right now in Western Washington is why I am waxing nostalgic over Nevada hiking! But don't think that this wilderness is a desert wasteland (not a real wasteland mind you). There are lakes there and they hit the spot after hiking through brushy prickly open slopes under scorching sun. Made the area sound enticing uh? Seriously, check this place out sometime. And for more info on all the wild areas of Nevada (no, not Vegas and Reno-the other wild areas) visit Friends of Nevada Wilderness. But just in case you're not interested in hiking in the Silver State, you don't have to go all the way to Nevada right now if you want a hot hidden wilderness. Right here in Washington we have our own little hot hidden wilderness. Juniper Dunes anyone? Its only 103 over there right now!

American Beauty

This past Friday I did one of my toughest hikes in recent times- a 19 mile trek across American Ridge followed by a 4.5 mile run down highway 410 to retrieve my truck! It was a long and hard day-but quite spectacular. American Ridge in the William O Douglas Wilderness is one of the loneliest spots in the South Cascades. The ridge trail is rugged-non-existent in spots and climbs and drops repeatedly and steeply- if you want to do a backpacking trip and be all by yourself-this is a trip for you. Now, when I say all-by-yourself-I mean no other humans- I met over 30 elk on this trip-most of them in the Big Basin which is a great place to spend the evening and one of the more gentle spots along this rough and rugged ridge. Full details of this trip will be in my Backpacking Book. And you'll want those details too because the Green Trails map is wrong- the distance is actually longer than what is shown and Harvey Manning doesn't mention the 1,200 foot drop and climb between one high basin and the other!

(photo- Bumping Lake and Nelson Ridge from American Ridge)

Horseshoe Basin is a real ringer!

I just got back from a short two day 26 mile backpacking trip to Horseshoe Basin in the Pasayten Wilderness. Talk about a fantastic place for exploring. Set up camp in the wide grassy basin and then choose among a half dozen 7,500 to 8,000 foot peaks to "walk up" and explore. I headed up Armstrong mountain-right on the BC border and Windy Peak the following day. Armstrong is amazing-all alpine tundra with lots of ridges and two border monuments. I bagged the high point over in BC and proved just how easy it is to walk back and forth over the border-yeah like the drug runners and illegal aliens don't know that already!

Windy Peak is south of Horseshoe with a trail up it. It is a hot hike through open tundra, rocky slopes and the Tripod burn zone. But what a view! You can actually see Baker peeking in the distance. I hiked off of Windy via the Clutch Creek Trail which is really difficult in spots with lots of bad tread and a steep hellacious climb out of the Middle Fork Toats Coulee. Oh well-that's why I do the research for you so you now know! This will all be in my upcoming Backpacking Washington book. I'll give you lots of pointers and suggestions in it on the region-but here's one right now- wait until late summer to come over here for the mosquitoes cant get enough hiker blood right now. By late summer however, much of Horseshoe's pretty wetland pools will be dry. Little buggers-only thing keeping this destination from being complete paradise!

Washington's hottest wilderness

-literally!

Last month I had the opportunity (finally) to hike in the Juniper Dunes Wilderness. Other than the Washington Islands and San Juan Islands Wildernesses-all this leaves for me to visit for Washington wildernesses now-is the tiny trailless Wonder Mountain Wilderness. In essence, Juniper Dunes is trailless too-just hike willy-nilly over an amazing dune system-the last intact protected interior dunes in the state. The wilderness is small, 7,100 acres-surrounded by agriculture and ORV-thrill parks. The Dunes too were once molested by ORVs and 4x4 scars still exist in this harsh yet fragile environment. Rainfall is scarce here-only 7 to 8 inches a year. This is the closest thing to a desert ecosystem that we have here in Washington. And with that said-now is not the time to visit. Being just outside of Pasco, the Dunes lie within the hottest part of the state-not unusual to have over 100 degree F days here throughout July and August. Visit in the fall or spring-definitely, spring when you can access the wilderness through the north easier-too-get-to trailhead and enjoy the amazing flowers. This place is hot! But, go check it out when it isn't!

Wildest not-yet-wilderness canyon in Washington!

Last week I had the opportunity to once again take a hike up Thirteen Mile Creek in the Colville National Forest in remote Ferry County. Accompanying me was Jasmine Minbashian of Conservation Northwest. Jasmine worked with me on my book, Columbia Highlands: Exploring Washington's Last Frontier. This area is truly Washington's last frontier and both Jasmine and I have an immense love for this wild country and would like nothing less for Thirteen mile Canyon, the Kettle Crest and other roadless areas in the Colville to be designated as Washington's next federally protected wilderness areas. If you haven't hiked here yet-this is a good time right now before it gets really hot later in the summer. Be mindful that this is one of the rattlesnakiest trails in the state. Jasmine and I watched a good size one (she claimed it wasn't so big-I have a different view!) slither in front of us while she was photographing a lone Ponderosa pine snag on the canyon rim. Want to learn more about this area? Check out my book and pay a visit to Conservation Northwest's website. See you in the Kettles!

Who wants to take

Cathy McMorris Rodgers

for a Hike?

This in from yesterdays Seattle Times:

Murray, Reichert take a hike with reporters
MIKE SIEGEL / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Archive More land sought for Alpine Lakes Wilderness
U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, and U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert, R-8th take a hike with reporters and supporters in Three Forks Park near the Middle Fork and North Fork of the Snoqualmie River to talk up their bill Friday, granting Wild and Scenic River protection for the Pratt and Middle Fork Snoqualmie Rivers. The bill, introduced March 27, also would include wilderness protection for an additional 22,000 acres in the Alpine Lakes region.

That's great - bi-partisan support for wilderness. But how about actually getting Reichert and Murray into real wilderness and not some suburban park on the outskirts of North Bend? Be a real hiker and wilderness advocate like Peter DeFazio of Oregon. And how about taking Cathy McMorris-Rodgers for a hike along the Kettle Crest. Show her what wilderness looks like and show her what needs to be protected. C'mon Cathy, how about being a Republican in the traditional sense- like Teddy Roosevelt-Dan Evans-Richard Nixon-Judd Gregg, Silvio Conte, and Thomas Pelly?

I'll gladly take you on a hike here! Just shoot me an email. I'd love to show you why this place deserves to be wilderness. And I'd love to tell you why a good conservative believes in conservation. I'll be waiting by the computer for your response. I'll even bring along lunch for our hike-you like Tapenade and Foccacia?

(photo- Alan Bauer taking in the views from Wapaloosie Mountain in the Kettle River Range)

Tip Toe Through the Humptulips! And what a glorious dance it was! Yesterday, James Johnston and Andy Stahl of FSEEE (Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics) accompanied me to lead a dozen plus admirers of ancient forests into the Campbell Tree Grove on the upper reaches of the West Fork of the Humptulips River. It was an introduction hike to the roadless Moonlight Dome Area, a 6,000-acre rugged tract of steep mountains and primeval forest that Andy, James, me and our hiking guests would very much like to see become a federally protected wilderness area. And why? The Moonlight Dome Area represents the last large tract of unlogged, unroaded, unmolested, un-trashed , unprotected coastal rainforest left within the Olympic National Forest. And we want to make sure that it remains unlogged, unroaded and unmolested-for its denizens-the elk, marbled murrlets, spotted owls, flying squirrels, cougars, bear, and a myriad of other species-and for its admirers-hikers and nature lovers here today and those that will follow generations from now.

Keep your eye here for updates on this campaign. I'll keep you posted on how it moves along. In the meanwhile, contact Andy at FSEEE on how you can help make the Moonlight Dome area a wilderness. If you live within Washington's 6th Congressional District, let Norm Dicks know how much you value an Olympic National Forest untrammeled-and how much you'd like to see this area become a federally protected wilderness. If you haven't visited this gorgeous natural area-I encourage you to. Pick up my Day Hiking Olympic Peninsula Book for a description of a hike within this roadless area. My book is the only hiking guide to cover this relatively unknown region of the Olympic Peninsula. And join us for another adventure into the area. Andy, James and I are talking about a summertime scramble up the Moonlight Dome with an apres hike camp out at the Campbell Tree Grove. We'll let you know about it once plans are made. In the meanwhile practice pronouncing Humptulips-it comes from the Quinault word for "hard to pole"-and hard to pronounce too if you're not careful!

(photo-James and Joan tip toe across the West Fork of the Humptulips in the Campbell Tree Grove)

Washington's Next Wilderness?

The passage this week of the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act which created two million acres of new federal wilderness is certainly something to celebrate. And while Washington didn't receive any new wilderness, neighboring states Idaho and Oregon received substantial tracts. Now is the time to ride the momentum and secure some new wilderness areas for the Evergreen State. Rep Reichert has introduced a bill to expand the Alpine Lakes Wilderness by 22,000 acres. Senator Patty Murray has agreed to co-sponsor the bill in the senate. And while I am excited about this bill, the area included in it is not under immanent threat. What is under threat from ORV molestation and extractive industries are the following areas:

The Moonlight Dome Roadless Area-Olympic National Forest
Kettle River Range- Colville National Forest
Dark Divide- Gifford Pinchot National Forest
South Entiat Mountains (Upper Mad River)-Wenatchee National Forest
Eastern Sawtooth Range (Golden Lakes)- Wenatchee National Forest
Mount Bonapare- Okanogan National Forest

These lands are long overdue for wilderness protection. They were bypassed in the 1984 act and have repeatably been overlooked for wilderness in the past two and a half decades. Time is running out on these lands. It is time now for wilderness for these, some of Washington's last great unprotected wildlands. It won't be easy with the likes of Hastings and McMorris-Rodgers in Congress-but with Reichert on board he can help power broke. Start urging (if you haven't already) your elected officials to get on board!

(photo- Middle Fork Snoqualmie River-near Washington's possible next wilderness area)

Let Freedom Ring

from the hills of New Hampshire

I just received the great news a few minutes ago from Washington Trail Association's Andrew Engelson that the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 passed the house. The yes vote was overwhelming, 285-140. A pox on WA Representative Doc Hastings (next to Jim McDermott, my least favorite congressperson from the Northwest) for trying to derail the vote with a controversial gun amendment. And no, I am not against guns-it is just the proposal to allow firearms in National Parks should be debated on its own merit-not slipped in as an amendment threatening to stall this important bill. Now, President Obama will assuredly sign this bill and I await his signature-perhaps the first act of his that I welcome. I've written about national historic trails and wildernesses that will be created under this bill, but there are plenty of other great public lands and designations in it as well. Among them, the Freedom's Way National Heritage Area close to where I grew up in southern New Hampshire.

What is the Freedom's Way NHA all about?

According to its website:

This theme is about the land: the geological events that shaped the landscape of the Native Americans for thousands of years. It is also the story of the changes wrought by the past 300 years and the development of a conservation movement that includes Henry David Thoreau, Benton MacKaye, and the present-day efforts of people like Marion Stoddart and John Hansen Mitchell. In addition to local conservation trails, there are rail trails in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts, some connecting. And there are Great Meadows visitor/education centers and trails, US Fish and Wildlife Refuges, State Reservations, Audubon sites, and The Trustees of Reservations sites. There are greenway trails too.

And plenty of wonderful historic sites and conservation areas that are dear to my heart. Benton MacKaye, if you don't know who he was, is the founder of the Appalachian Trail, the nation's first long distance national scenic trail. And in this bill, two new national scenic trails join the AT. How sweet is that? I'm looking forward (as always) to returning to the home front to check out how this new designation will play out in my beloved New England. Now it's time for that Chianti!

(photo- old Monson Village, one of NH's first interior settlements, a SPNHF preserve and part of the new Freedom's Way NHA)

Let's Go For a Moonlight Hike

on the Olympic Peninsula!
Well, not a moonlight hike in a lunar sense-you'd be hard-pressed to do one of those right now in the rainy Olympics. No, I'm talking about a hike into the Moonlight Dome roadless area. I am leading a hike here along with James Johnston of Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics. James and I worked together on the Columbia Highlands Book. Below is the press release. You're invited! Please join us! We look forward to sharing this special, remote, and little-known corner of the Olympic Peninsula with you.

You’re invited to a Moonlight Dome Hike!
March 29, 2009
Please join Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics for an interpretive hike into the prospective (not federal wilderness yet!) Moonlight Dome Wilderness in Washington’s incomparable Olympic Peninsula.
We’ll be accompanied by outdoor writer Craig Romano, author of seven books about the Pacific Northwest, including "Day Hiking Olympic Peninsula." Craig and FSEEE’s James Johnston will talk hiking, ecology, and opportunities to create new wilderness areas in the coastal old-growth forests of the Olympic Peninsula.
We’ll be doing an easy to moderate difficulty 3-4 mile round trip day hike along the West Fork Humptulips River Trail, through spectacular groves of old growth and views of rugged peaks.
We will meet at the Starbucks Coffee House on 1213 E. Wishkah Street in Aberdeen at 9:00 AM on Sunday, March 29.
Bring a lunch.
Come prepared for rain!
All FSEEE’s events are free, and this event will be fun for almost all ages and ability levels.
Please call or email James to RSVP or if you have any questions.
The proposed Moonlight Dome wilderness
photo Craig Romano
(Contact James at 541.484.2692 or james@fseee.org)
See you in Aberdeen on the 29th!

Get Ready to Chisel

"National Scenic"

into that boulder!

There is still hope for National Scenic Trail status for the Pacific Northwest Trail and the New England Trail as well as hope for over two million acres of new wilderness from Oregon to Virginia. After the let down two weeks ago of the House failing to pass the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, a new version was taken up by the Senate last week and it passed overwhelmingly by 77-20. The House should be taking the bill up on Wednesday and it should pass easily. Still, I refrain from tipping my glass of Chianti until I see the final roll call. And unlike many of our public leaders who didn't read the Stimulus Bill before signing it-I actually read through this bill. There is a lot of things to like about this bill especially as an advocate of natural resource protection and historic preservation. Among the tidbits in this bill are several new Civil War National Historic Sites, a President Clinton Birthplace National Historic Site (C'mon people-he was one of our presidents and W will get one too) and enlargement of the Martin Van Buren NHS (I kid you not!), a Cold War NHS, a possible Harriet Beecher Stowe NHS, new National Heritage Corridors in New England and elsewhere, new wilderness areas in Michigan and West Virginia and a South Park National Heritage Area in Colorado! Wow, I never knew Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman were such national treasures. Seriously though-there is much to like about this bill-check here to see what is coming your way if the House follows through for us. I'm looking forward to all the new great places to visit coming my way.

Washington Wilderness Coalition's

Photo of the MonthEach issue of Washington Wilderness Coalition's monthly e-letter includes a picture of the month of Wild Washington photographed by a WWC member or supporter. This month's photo of the month comes compliments of moi. It is of one of my favorite places in the state, the Kettle River Range, a large roadless area that I (and many other conservationists) hope that will soon be included in federal wilderness. Left out of the 1984 Washington Wilderness Bill, the Kettles have long deserved protection being one of the wildest and prettiest regions in all of Eastern Washington.

For more on the Washington Wilderness Coalition, click here.
For more on protecting the Kettle River Range, click here.
For information on my book on the wilds of Eastern Washington, click here!

And for more information about the picture of the month, read on!

Summer storm clouds dance over a procession of lofty peaks (Scar, Wapaloosie, Columbia, Sherman, Snow, Bald and White). The view south is grand from 7,140-foot Copper Butte, highest summit in the 75 mile long Kettle River Range and centerpiece of the 29,000-acre Profanity Roadless Area. Transition zone between the Cascades and Rockies, the Kettle River Range is an important land bridge harboring a wealth of flora and fauna including several threatened and endangered species. Photo by Craig Romano, used with Permission. Craig Romano is author of Columbia Highlands: Exploring Washington’s Last Frontier, and several other NW guidebooks. Visit him at http://CraigRomano.com

Omnibus Public Land Management Act

Has Overwhelming Support in Congress

but Goes Down in Defeat!

Say What?

You have to love the way our system works sometimes (Insert sarcasm here). The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, a bill that would have established two million acres of new wilderness and make the Pacific Northwest Trail and the New England Trail National Scenic Trails among other things-a bill that had wide bipartisan support (73-21) in the Senate was defeated in the house by 2 votes.

Final Vote 282 For
144 Against
6 Not Voting

If it had 282 votes for it-then how could it have possibly been defeated you are probably thinking. Well- you are going to love this-the bill failed in the House of Representatives this week by roll call vote. The vote was held under a suspension of the rules to cut debate short and pass the bill, needing a two-thirds majority. Something that usually occurs for non-controversial legislation.

Repeat after me:
Un-insert a common profane modifier here-believable!

It appears that 141 of the 178 House Republicans and three Blue Dog Dems didn't like the bill. For the usual anti-wilderness forces its just business as usual-but perhaps for a few of the more open thinkers they got cold feet because of all of the crazy spending that has been going on recently.

Gotta love the irony of this session tough. Yep- Don't pay your mortgage- Congress and the Prez come to your rescue! Swindle tax payers with toxic mortgages and investments-Congress and the Prez come to your rescue! Run a major company that can't turn a profit-hey-don't worry- Congress and the Prez will come to your rescue!But try to protect a few small corners of undeveloped America for wild critters and future generations-and you can Forgetaboutit!

So I suppose its back to the drawing board and perhaps best so that any toxic amendments that were attached to this bill can be stripped off before trying all over again. Then again-we came so close-its so frustrating! Before we re-camp-be sure to check out the heroes and zeros below and let them know how you feel.

Heroes and Zeros

Thank your Democratic congressperson unless its James Marshall of Georgia, Collin Peterson of Minnesota, or Dan Boren of Oklahoma. Bobby Bright of Alabama, Suzanne Kosmas of Florida and John Hall of New York didn't vote and they could have made the difference on this vote! Ask them why they weren't doing their job!

Thirty-four republicans voted for the bill and they should be thanked-among them-
Michael Simpson of Idaho, Greg Walden of Oregon, Donald Young of Alaska, and our Dave Reichert of Washington.

Admonish Cathy McMorris-Rodgers and Doc Hastings of WA for voting against this bill-the only two Congressional members in the entire Northwest delegation (WA, OR, ID, AK) that voted against this bill! The entire New England Congressional delegation voted for the bill and they should be thanked.

(photo-A scene in the Holyoke Hills of Massachusetts where the proposed New England National Trail Travels over)

Romano's Favorite Hiking Haunts No. 5

The Salmo-Priest Wilderness

I love the mountains and backcountry of northeastern Washington. From the Okanogan River to the Idaho border some of the wildest and loneliest terrain left in Washington state can be found here. A sparsely populated and lightly visited region, I love venturing to the mountains of Washington's northeast-its Columbia Highlands-for solitude, reflection, rejuvenation and to experience a Washington not found west of the Cascade Divide. Here in the Kettle River Range and Selkirk Range-and especially in the Salmo-Priest Wilderness, some of Washington's rarest and most fascinating fauna roams. Wolverines. lynx, mountain caribou, wolves, and grizzly! The only wilderness area in the state's northeast and within the 1.1 million acre Colville National Forest, the Salmo-Priest must be enlarged to ensure the protection of these wild denizens. And to assure me and other seekers of solitude that portions of our ever-growing Evergreen State will forever remain wild and untrammeled. I'm doing my part to help get this area into wilderness. I'm introducing hikers to the wonders of this region so that they may take an active role in protecting it. I urge you to join Conservation Northwest which is leading the movement for an Eastern Washington wilderness bill. Come visit. Need ideas? My Columbia Highlands book will give you plenty. So will my Best Hikes with Dogs Inland Northwest Book. And my new backpacking book that I am currently working on will also showcase some mighty fine eastern Washington wilds. I'll see you over that way this summer-and in the Blue Mountains too-but that's another story-and one I'll save for a future blog entry.

(photo- view east into Idaho from Round Mountain in the Salmo-Priest Wilderness, Oct 08)

An Expanded

Alpine Lakes Wilderness?

Congressman Dave Reichert (R WA 8th District) has set the wheels rolling this Congressional session to get more wilderness protection in the Central Cascades. His bill which purports to expand the Alpine Lakes Wilderness by 26,000 acres mostly within the Pratt River and Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Valleys is a no-nonsense no pork-spending no partisan-bickering bill. I know this bill is minuscule compared to the Trillion dollar leverage our future on a lot of ridiculous projects bill- I mean the Obama stimulus bill- but it would be nice to get this little wilderness bill passed-and keep the ball rolling for more wilderness protection. Can an Eastern Washington Wilderness Bill be on the horizon? The economy may be melting down, but lets try not take our roadless areas with it.

(photo- Middle Fork Snoqualmie River just outside of the proposed new wilderness expansion)

Get on the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009

On a positive note for sound environmental legislation, the US Senate voted 73-21 to pass a massive wilderness bill! Yahoo! Twenty-one senators voted no, all republicans including John McCain. Ouch-

The following republicans voted yea; Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker of Tennessee, Christopher Bond of Missouri, Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, Orrin Hatch of Utah, Mel Martinez of Florida, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Richard Lugar of Indiana, Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine, Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker of Mississippi, John Barrasso and Michael Enzi of Wyoming , Michael Crapo and Jim Rirsch of Idaho, and George Voinovich of Ohio. Wow- the entire delegation from Wyoming, Idaho Tennessee, and Mississippi- not exactly environmentally friendly delegations mind you voted yea!

Now back to McCain- Why the no vote? On January 6th senator McCain introduced 3 environmental friendly bills:

Arizona National Scenic Trail Bill – Cosponsored by Senator Jon Kyl, Senator McCain introduced the Arizona National Scenic Trail Bill to designate the Arizona Trail a National Scenic Trail. Approximately 807 miles long, the trail begins at the Coronado National Memorial on the United States-Mexico border and extends to the Arizona Strip bordering Utah.

Fossil Creek Wild and Scenic River Act – Cosponsored by Senator Jon Kyl, Senator McCain introduced the Fossil Creek Wild and Scenic River Act designating segments of Fossil Creek, a tributary to the Verde River in the State of Arizona, as a Wild and Scenic River.

Walnut Canyon Study Act – Cosponsored by Senator Jon Kyl, the bill would provide for a study and report on how to best manage public lands surrounding the Walnut Canyon Monument to ensure adequate protection of the canyon’s cultural and natural resources.

So, Senator McCain- why the no vote?

Now let's get this bill onto President-elect Obama's desk so he can sign at least one bill that I'm in favor of in his first 100 days!

(photo- Heather hiking on Mount Hood's Cooper Spur. Oregon Wilderness will expand greatly under this bill)

Darcy Burned!

Thank God that the Democratic fervor that swept across America this past November 4th didn't sweep out out of Congress, Dave Reichert (WA 8th District). I understand all too well why Obama was put in the White House-but unfortunately the coattail effect often puts people in power who don't deserve it-they just happen to be affiliated with the party that is currently in vogue-like Ms. Gregoire our free-spending governor. It would have truly been a shame if Mr. Reichert lost to political hack Darcy Burner. Dave is a good moderate Republican out of the traditional wing of his party. And Dave is no foe of the environment. Now that he has been reelected he can get the ball going again on getting his wilderness bill passed-a bill that will increase the size of the ever-popular Alpine lakes Wilderness. As for Darcy, perhaps now she'll have more time to work on her education!

Washington's Next Wilderness? The Colville National Forest is currently holding public commenting periods to help the agency evaluate Inventoried Roadless Areas (IRAs) within the Forest for their potential recommendation as wilderness. Evaluation of IRAs for potential wilderness recommendation is a required step in the forest plan revision process. And if conservationists would like to see areas such as the Kettle River Range, Abercrombie-Hooknose, and Salmo-Priest Country protected as wilderness they just may want to attend one of these workshops. I have long supported wilderness additions in northeastern Washington. Currently only 3% of the Colville, a paltry sum, is protected as wilderness. Conservation Northwest has long supported wilderness protection in this important biologically and scenic area of the Evergreen State. Contact Conservation NW on how you can help persuade elected officials make an Eastern Washington Wilderness Act become a reality. Read my book Columbia Highlands to find out more about this relatively unknown area. Visit the region and take to one of its many fine and lightly traveled trails. Consider attending the upcoming commenting session in Republic on November 1st. Get involved and help protect the last wild lands in Washington east of the Cascade Crest.

(Alan Bauer hikes the Kettle Crest trail October 2008)