Issue Position: Mt. Hood - Managing for the Future

Issue Position

Mt. Hood is a diverse and wonderful Oregon treasure providing drinking water, recreation, scenic beauty and timber for millions of people annually. But we are in danger of loving the mountain to death. Creating a long-term stewardship plan for the mountain will enable us to continue enjoying its many offerings today while establishing a legacy that will allow future generations to do the same.

Congressman Walden has been working closely for more than three years with fellow Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Portland) to craft such a plan and they have recently unveiled the Mt. Hood Stewardship Legacy Act, bipartisan legislation with strong support from their follow Oregon representatives, developed in collaboration with many local residents, experts and stakeholders. This bill culminates the pair's three-year effort of listening and learning about the demands on the mountain and the needs and ways to protect it for the future. It is a proposal that would improve transportation, recreation and forest health while enhancing and protecting water quality and wilderness values.

In December, Walden and Blumenauer held two summits titled "A Legacy for Mt. Hood" (one in Portland and one in Hood River) to share their ideas with the public. The December 2005 summits came on the heels of the August 2005 hike both men took around the mountain - spending 4 days hiking 41 miles circumnavigating the mountain on the Timberline Trail - during which they met with a variety of stakeholders and experts in fields ranging from botany and hydrology to geology and biology. They also met with tribal representatives, recreation organizations and wilderness experts on the many diverse uses on Mt. Hood.

Prior to the hike, Walden and Blumenauer held a series of round table discussions in July to meet with stakeholders as well. In August 2003, the pair held a public summit titled "Mt. Hood: A View from the Summit" and one in August 2004 titled "Mt. Hood: A Vision for the Future." Throughout their summits, hundreds of individuals have been able to hear and express opinions on the future of Mt. Hood.

SUPPORT FOR THE MT. HOOD STEWARDSHIP LEGACY ACT:

* The Oregonian
* The Columbian
* Campaign for America's Wilderness
* Congressman Richard Pombo, Chairman of US House Resources Committee
* The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs
* State of Oregon
* Portland Mayor Tom Potter
* Clackamas County
* Hood River County
* Wasco County
* City of Sandy
* American Rivers
* Mazamas
* International Mountain Bicycling Association

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