Wild Sky, Washington (State) Wilderness

Kudos to Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Congressman Rick Larsen (D-WA) who co-sponsored the Wild Sky Winderness legislation that will be signed into law Thursday, May 8, by President Bush.  This legislation will create the first new wilderness area in the state of Washington in the last twenty years. Most notably, however, it may create a new style of wilderness designation and management as the past wilderness areas have been old growth forest at higher elevations.

The Wild Sky Wilderness area is located in Snohomish County and designates 106,577 acres of national forest as newly sacred ground.  The difference between this and previous designations is that this wilderness area includes lower elevation old growth and an estimated 25 miles of salmon streams. 

These areas will be available for recreational use but in a manner, according to Senator Murray's email notification to me, that "will preserve the pristine nature of the land, protect wildlife, promote clean water, enhance and protect recreational opportunities for the region, and contribute to the local economy."

The history of this particular bill is quite amazing.  The initial bill was formulated nine years ago and would pass the senate and the house multiple times after its first introduction in 2002 by Senator Murray and Congressman Larsen.  It was a result of years of effort and involvement by both the sponsoring politicians and community activists with the shared vision of protecting and preserving this wilderness for generations to come.

The Bush administration has been less than cooperative over the years that this important legislation has been percolating through revolving doors, but let it not be said that this citizen will criticize his signature now that he's finally gone and done it. 

I will however, give him no credit, as all of that belongs to Senator Patty Murray and Congressman Rick Larsen.  To you and my fellow citizens who didn't give up, may I thank you all for myself, my children, my grandchildren and their children.  As you know, your sacrifice and efforts on this bill will have an impact not just on Washingtonians but the rest of the country and the world for generations ad infinitum.