Outlook fades for Northwest wilderness proposals in Congress
SPOKANE - The prospects for new wilderness protections in Idaho and Washington appear to be losing support.
The Sierra Club and 26 other conservation groups have withdrawn support for the proposed 300,000-acre Hemingway Wilderness near Idaho's Sun Valley.
A growing number of off-road vehicle recreationists are opposing that plan.
A proposal to designate the Wild Sky Wilderness in the Cascade Range northeast of Seattle also withered Wednesday in Congress.
And prospects are dimming this year for action on wilderness designation for the Owyhee canyonlands of Southern Idaho, although Inland Northwest conservationists are still optimistic for the long term.
Motorized vehicles, mountain bikes and chain saws are banned in designated wilderness areas under the 1964 Wilderness Act.
Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Calif., the chairman of the House Resources Committee and a longtime opponent of wilderness legislation, wants "near universal" support for any proposed wilderness before his committee will consider the bill, said Lindsay Nothern, spokeswoman for Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho.
Pombo withdrew support for Washington's Wild Sky Wilderness bill because of partisan bickering over the amount of land to be included.
Crapo hopes to build consensus for the 500,000-acre Owyhee wilderness proposal by working with county commissioners, cattle ranchers and environmentalists.
But with Congress expected to adjourn soon, the bill might not come up for a vote until next year. And consensus is increasingly hard to find in Washington & Idaho.
The Sierra Club hopes the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition will generate support for protecting 270,000 acres of forest along the explorers' route through north-central Idaho.
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Outlook fades for Northwest wilderness proposals in Congress
Read the response from Washington Wilderness Coalition regarding the propects of passing the Wild Sky Wilderness Act in 2004.