Public Unveiling of 4.8 Million Acre Citizens' Wilderness Proposal For Oregon Public Forestlands to be Focus of Oregon Wilderness Conference, April 27-29

ARCHIVED 2002–2016: Originally distributed via the eWire press wire service. Preserved as historical record.

SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE |

Conservation & Wildlife

Corporate Responsibility

Science & Technology

Syndication Partners

**************************************************************************

E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE

**************************************************************************

For Immediate Release

Public Unveiling of 4.8 Million Acre Citizens' Wilderness Proposal For Oregon Public Forestlands to be Focus of Oregon Wilderness Conference, April 27-29

Oregonians from all walks of life come together in support of "Oregon Wild," a 4.8 million-acre wilderness proposal for the state.

OREGON, EUGENE, Apr. 25 -/E-Wire/-- Hundreds of businesses, organizations and citizens are among those actively supporting a Citizens' Wilderness Proposal for the state of Oregon to be unveiled to the public during the Oregon Wilderness Coalition's (OWC) Wilderness Conference April 27-29 at Lane Community College in Eugene, OR. Called Oregon Wild, the citizen-based proposal would protect 4.8 million acres of the best wild forests in the state.

Under Oregon Wild, citizens have mapped out and categorized 32 wilderness proposals, including the Clackamas Wilderness, Mount Hood Wilderness Additions and Columbia Gorge Wilderness proposals on the Mount Hood National Forest near Portland.

"This citizen-based wilderness proposal has been put together by Oregonians from around the state," said Susan Ash, Oregon Wild Campaign Director with the Oregon Natural Resources Council. "At a time when the direction from Washington D.C. is to role back federal forest protections, Oregonians are stating loud and clear that they want their pristine forests protected."

Oregon Wild is endorsed by hundreds of Oregon businesses and organizations, including Physicians for Social Responsibility, the Gresham Grange, the Mt. Hood Railroad, Hillcrest Vineyard, and Patagonia, Inc.

"The cleanest drinking water comes from intact watersheds like those found in the Oregon Wild Proposal," said Dr. Catherine Thomasson with Physicians for Social Responsibility, which has endorsed Oregon Wild. "It's a small jump to realize that protecting wilderness areas protects the health of the community."

A teacher, a dietician, a loan officer. An integral part of Oregon Wild is the Adopt-a-Wilderness program. Individuals and groups "adopt" unprotected wilderness areas and advocate for their protection. People that adopted areas include Leslie Logan, a teacher from Portland, Jenny Young Seidmann, a dietician from Roseburg and Jeff Wetherell, a loan officer from Medford.

"I wanted to help my children understand how important pristine, natural forests are," said Leslie Logan, a teacher and mother of two who has adopted the Roaring River Area in the Clackamas Wilderness Proposal. "I wanted to protect wilderness for generations to come."

"Our country was built from the wilderness. Now it's time to leave some of our heritage in its native state," said Jenny Young Seidemann, a dietician from Roseburg who has adopted the Cougar Bluffs Area in the North Umpqua Wilderness Proposal.

"A teacher, a loan officer, a dietician -- these are the faces of wilderness protection in Oregon," said Ash of ONRC. "While conservation groups can help organize campaigns like Oregon Wild, it is the people of Oregon who will carry it through to Congress for passage of a wilderness bill."

"Oregon Wild was put together the Oregon way â from the ground up," said Ash. "Hundreds of people got out on the ground, mapping and surveying these areas. These special places are now an integral part of their lives. Now those same people will carry this proposal to Oregon's congressional delegation asking for wilderness protection."

The OWC Wilderness Conference will feature discussions with leading experts on a variety of issues relating to wilderness protection and designation. Keynote speakers include Gloria Flora, former Forest Supervisor of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in Nevada who gained national attention for her role in last year's Elko, Nevada Jarbidge road controversy when she tried to prevent the "Jarbidge Shovel Brigade" from endangering threatened Bull Trout habitat. Chris Wood, former special assistant to the Chief of the Forest Service under the Clinton Administration is also featured.

For more information about the OWC Conference, please visit www.onrc.org

For a packet of information on Oregon Wild, including a list of business endorsers, wilderness maps and fact sheets on local wilderness areas in need of protection, contact Erik Fernandez at ONRC, (503) 283-6343 ext. 202.

Oregon Natural Resources Council

**************************************************************************

To Transmit Your News Over E-Wire, visit http://www.ewire.com or

call 1-[REDACTED-PHONE]. E-Wire Is Broadcast To Millions Of Readers Worldwide

**************************************************************************