Wild Sky Wilderness Gains Momentum, Passes U.S. Senate
Late yesterday evening, the 106,000 acre Wild Sky Wilderness legislation was approved unanimously by the U.S. Senate. Senators Murray and Cantwell worked hard to make sure that the full Senate considered the Wild Sky Wilderness bill before adjourning for the holiday recess. The Wild Washington Campaign praised the two Senators for their effective leadership and tenacious efforts to ensure that this important conservation measure for Washington becomes a reality.
"It's impressive how Senators Murray and Cantwell have worked to build bipartisan support for the Wild Sky, even in the Republican-controlled Senate," said John Leary, Director of the Wild Washington Campaign.
In testimony earlier this year, a senior Bush Administration official stated, "This is a good bill. We commend you and the Washington delegation for the bipartisan nature in which you put it together...If this bill passes Congress, it will be signed by the President." Both Republican and Democrat Senators on the Committee also praised the bill in passing it on a voice vote in July.
"In less than a year, Senators Murray and Cantwell marched their bill through the Senate Committee, won support from the Bush Administration and now got full Senate approval. Thanks to these Senate champions, the Wild Sky is now - once again - just one step from being permanently protected as a designated Wilderness," said Leary.
A year ago, the Senate passed the Wild Sky bill during the 107th Congress under a Democratic majority. The legislation also cleared the House Committee, but never got to the floor of the Republican-controlled House before the end of the 107th Congress. The current 2-year term of the 108th Congress continues into next year and the Wild Sky Wilderness proposal is ripe for House action in 2004.
"Yesterday's Senate action is exactly what the Wild Sky proposal needed - it sends the issue to the House with momentum and a message to the entire Washington delegation that they must work together to get the job done," said Tom Uniack, Conservation Director for the Washington Wilderness Coalition. "Bipartisan support for the Wild Sky has continued to grow over the past year, with local officials, business leaders and user groups enthusiastically supporting this popular proposal. It's what the people of Washington want for their backyard and its time Congress got the job done," said Uniack.
Support for the proposal has grown substantially, including endorsements by more than 70 locally elected officials, including supportive resolutions from the cities of Snohomish and Monroe. In addition, more than 100 businesses and organizations have endorsed the wilderness proposal, including REI, Cascade Designs, Montrail, Trout Unlimited, Backcountry Horsemen of Washington and Washington Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities.
A number of business leaders and elected officials joined nearly 400 citizens at the Wild Sky Festival this summer to show enthusiastic support for the wilderness proposal. Held in the scenic town of Index near the proposed Wilderness, the festival featured guided hikes, rafting and other outings, plus world-renowned nature photographer Art Wolf as a guest speaker and a raffle sponsored by local and regional businesses.
"The Wild Sky represents the future of Washington," said Don Parks, volunteer leader with the Alpine Lakes Protection Society, a member organization of the Wild Washington Campaign. "It is a hopeful landscape that we all share and want to see protected for our children and our children's children. Washington has always taken care of its backyard and the Wild Sky Wilderness bill is yet another example of that great tradition."
Attention will now shift to the House of Representatives next year during the second session of the 108th Congress. There, the role of Representative Dunn (R-WA-8) and other Washington Republicans could be critical to ensure that the Wild Sky gets passed in the House. Representative Dunn is an original cosponsor of bill introduced by Representative Rick Larsen (D-WA-2), but Representatives George Nethercutt (R-WA-5) and Doc Hastings (R-WA-4) have not taken a public position on the Wild Sky Wilderness issue.
The Wild Washington Campaign emphasizes Washington's tradition of bipartisanship built on widespread public support for Wilderness. A recent poll commissioned by the Wild Washington Campaign on the Wild Sky issue in Rep. Dunn's 8th congressional district found that an overwhelming majority of voters want to see Congresswoman Dunn and other Republicans in the congressional delegation to take a stronger leadership role in the effort to pass the Wild Sky Wilderness legislation. The poll showed convincingly that robust support exists from all voter groups - Republicans, Democrats and "ticket splitters" alike.
Conservationists also point out that 2004 will mark the 20th anniversary of the 1 million acre 1984 Washington Wilderness Act, the last National Forest wilderness that was designated in Washington State, and the 40th anniversary of the 1964 Wilderness Act. They argue that passing a new wilderness bill would be a great way to celebrate these historic achievements.
