Wild Sky Wilderness bill quickly passes key test in Congress

Logging, roads, vehicles would be banned in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie forest refuge

Friday, September 13, 2002

By CHARLES POPE
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT

WASHINGTON -- A House committee yesterday approved the Wild Sky Wilderness area, a major -- and surprisingly swift -- step that moves the proposed 106,000-acre refuge in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest to the brink of reality.

The voice vote by the House Resources Committee came with no debate as lawmakers moved through more than 60 bills.

The move caught many supporters by surprise, as they thought the Senate would act on the bill first.

Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., sponsor of the legislation, said the vote yesterday increases chances that the first wilderness area to be created in Washington since 1984 will be approved this year.

"Today Wild Sky rounded third base. Now the only question is, will we make it home or do we have to wait for the next inning?" he said.

"I see this quick action as a sign of recognition of all the hard work that went into crafting this bill," Larsen said.

"We brought many diverse groups to the table when we crafted this bill, and we went to great lengths to build a consensus among those different groups.

"The end result is a wilderness area that everyone will be able to enjoy," he said.

The bill now goes to the full House, which is expected to approve it. Larsen said he hoped the vote would be soon.

Under the bill, the acreage in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest would receive the highest level of protection afforded federal property. It would be off-limits to vehicles, including bicycles and snowmobiles, as well as to logging, mining and other commercial uses. Wheelchairs, however, would be permitted, and the proposal calls for a 2-mile-long former logging road to be converted to a wheelchair-accessible trail.

The construction of roads would be prohibited, although exceptions would be allowed in emergencies, such as fires. The goal is to preserve the land in its original form so that the 2.4 million people who live within two hours of the Skykomish River valley can experience views and vistas that greeted the first settlers.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., has sponsored a similar bill in the Senate. Like Larsen's bill, Murray's legislation has broad support.

Last month, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., chairman of the Senate's Public Lands and Forestry Subcommittee, said he would move quickly on the bill, though no date was set.

P-I Washington correspondent Charles Pope can be reached at 202-943-9229 or charliepope@seattlepi.com

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