The Wilderness Society is always looking to the future of this incredible landscape. Much of our work is focused on planning efforts at the National Park and National Forests. Advocacy is an essential part of our work on Capitol Hill in Washington DC and working with grassroots organizations here in the Northwest. Science and research are integral to the work of The Wilderness Society – it is our foundation.
Okanogan-Wenatchee Forest Plan
The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest is currently updating its forest plan. This plan provides a comprehensive but broad set of directions for the future management of the forest. This plan will also be the first opportunity for the forest to make recommendations on wilderness additions since the 1984 Washington Wilderness Act.
Read the comment letter submitted to the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest by The Wilderness Society.
Travel Management Planning
A travel management plan determines how the forest can be used by motorized transportation (excluding snowmobiles). The Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest has decided not to make changes to its travel management plan. The Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest is undergoing a complete review of travel management. The Wilderness Society is working with a network of other organizations to analyze the draft travel management plans.
Get Up-to-Date on Forest Plans and Projects
Our forests are constantly updating plans and projects. You can follow their progress by using the following links:
Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest projects and Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest projects. Both forests provide a quarterly summary called the Schedule of Proposed Actions (SOPA). You can read the latest update at the following links: Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest SOPA and Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest SOPA.
North Cascades National Park Complex Planning
The North Cascades National Park is one of the treasures of the national park system. It includes the Park, the Stephen Mather Wilderness and two National Recreation Areas: Ross Lake and Lake Chelan. There are a number of planning efforts underway. Two of the largest are the Ross Lake Management Plan and the Stehekin River Corridor Plan. Click here to track the planning efforts in the North Cascades National Park Complex.
At the heart of The Wilderness Society is the combination of world-class research and advocacy on Capitol Hill. Legislation efforts that we are tracking that affect the North Cascades are listed below.
Current legislation:
Alpine Lakes Wilderness Additions and Pratt and Middle Fork Snoqualmie Rivers Protections Act of 2009
This bipartisan legislation, sponsored by Senator Patty Murray and Representative Dave Reichert, would add about 22,000 acres of forest to the existing Alpine Lakes Wilderness and provide Wild and Scenic Rivers designation for the Pratt River and sections of the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River. The bill would provide wilderness designation virtually at the back door of North Bend.
Click here to read the Senate's bill, S 721.
Click here to read the House's bill, HR 1769.
The Wilderness Society's North Cascades Initiative is working with a broad-based group of supporters from conservation, recreation and community leaders to urge passage of this legislation. The bill cleared the Senate Committee in December 2009 and it's possible that mark up could occur in the House soon.
Illabot Wild and Scenic River
This bill amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate a segment of Illabot Creek in Skagit County, Washington, as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
Sponsored by Representative Rick Larsen and Senator Patty Murray, the legislation would declare 14.3 miles of Illabot Creek as wild and scenic. The headwaters of the creek are in the Glacier Peak Wilderness and that 4.3 mile stretch would be declared Wild. The ten-mile segment from the wilderness boundary to just south of the Rockport-Cascade River Road would be declared Recreational.
Click here to read the House's bill, HR 1593.
Click here to read the Senate's bill, S. 635.
Boundary Adjustment Authorization for the Stephen Mather Wilderness in North Cascades National Park
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to adjust the boundary of the Stephen Mather Wilderness and the North Cascades National Park in order to allow the rebuilding of a road outside of the floodplain, while ensuring that there is no net loss of acreage to the Park or the Wilderness.
Sections of the primitive road between Stehekin and Cottonwood Camp have been washed out and the National Park Service determined it would not reconstruct the road unless the wilderness boundary was moved by Congress. Building the new road would go through some remarkable old growth cedars and likely result in the rerouting of the Pacific Crest Trail. Representative Jay Inslee made improvements to the bill before it passed the House, but we remain opposed to the legislation.
This legislation (HR 2806) has passed the House but no action has been set in the Senate.
Congressional Committees
The work of Congress is done in committees and subcommittees. Most legislation affecting the North Cascades will go through the House Natural Resources Committee of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The committees have extensive websites and even allow you to view or listen to committee deliberations as they happen.
Washington State Senator Maria Cantwell is a member of the Senate Committee. Three of Washington State’s House members serve on the House Committee. Representative Doc Hastings is the ranking minority member on the House Committee and Representatives Jay Inslee and Cathy McMorris Rodgers are members of the House Committee.
