TRAVEL

Six places on doorstep of Wilderness Act protection

Zach Urness

Statesman Journal

The 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act has inspired both outdoor lovers and environmental advocates to shine a light on the places in Oregon that have come close, but haven't yet been protected as wilderness.

Some have been on the short list for protection for over three decades while others are recent ideas. They run the gamut from the Coast Range to the Cascade Range to the high desert.

Here are the six areas.

WILDERNESS PROPOSALS IN LEGISLATURE

Wild Rogue Wilderness extension: 58,000 acres. Expands existing Wild Rogue Wilderness in southwest Oregon and adds 35 tributaries of the Rogue River to the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Goal is to create larger buffer zone around Rogue River and protect its tributaries. Currently part of O&C Trust, Conservation, and Jobs Act in the House and O&C Act of 2013 in the Senate.

Devil's Staircase Wilderness: 30,540 acres. This wild and remote canyon in the Central Coast Range has been come close to being protected multiple times since the early 1980s but has always come up just a bit short. Named for a 50-foot tiered waterfall on Wassen Creek. Also part of the O&C Trust, Conservation, and Jobs Act in the House and O&C Act of 2013 in the Senate.

Horse Heaven and Cathedral Rock: 18,000 acres. A beautiful stretch around the John Day River near Ashwood. Has been working through congress for several years in the Senate. Has not been introduced in the House.

POTENTIAL WILDERNESS PROPOSALS

Crater Lake Wilderness: 525,000 acres. Includes the backcountry of Oregon's only national park and both the wildlife and recreation corridors that lead into and out of the park. Highlights include area along the upper Rogue River like Rough Rider Falls.

Mount Hood Wilderness additions: 18,000 acres. It includes areas that conservation groups believe should be added to the Mount Hood Wilderness including Tamanawas Falls, Boulder Lake, Salmon River, Bluegrass Ridge, McCall Point and parts of Hunchback Mountain.

Owyhee Canyonlands Wilderness: 1 to 2 million acres. Not an official proposal, but momentum has gathered around establishing wilderness along the canyonlands near the Owyhee River in extreme southeastern Oregon.

Zach Urness has been an outdoors writer, photographer and videographer in Oregon for six years. He is the author of the book "Hiking Southern Oregon" and can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on Facebook at Zach's Oregon Outdoors or @ZachsORoutdoors on Twitter.