(Much of the
land is in
Klamath County).
“Oregon’s
premier national
park is Crater
Lake National
Park. Why in the
world would we
want to make the
park a
wilderness area,
where once in a
wilderness
designation,
there isn’t any
management,”
Walden said.
100
percent opposed
Walden said he
is 100 percent
opposed to
Oregon Wild’s
wilderness
proposal.
“It kicks the
public off
public land,”
Walden said.
Walden said he
believes a
wilderness
designation will
be a loss for
outdoor
recreationists,
such as
bicyclists and
snowmobilers,
and that the
land will become
more fire prone
because the
designation
calls for less
forest
management.
Wilderness
designations
have the most
hands-off
approach to land
management of
any federal
lands. According
to the National
Park Service
website, the
1964 Wilderness
Act protects
areas “for the
permanent good
of the whole
people.”
Wilderness
prohibitions
The act
prohibits
permanent roads
and commercial
enterprises, and
it generally
does not allow
motorized
equipment,
vehicles,
mechanical
transport,
temporary roads,
permanent
structures or
installations.
According to the
Oregon Wild
website, the
proposal would
protect 500,000
acres within and
outside Crater
Lake park
boundaries,
creating a
90-mile
corridor. The
proposal would
not affect any
of the existing
access roads
within the park
or the lodge,
the website
said.
“Are there some
areas where it
made sense to do
wilderness over
time? Sure. This
does not make
sense. It would
completely
eliminate a very
important
recreational
opportunity that
exists and
frankly, would
hurt the economy
of Klamath,
Jackson and
Douglas
counties,”
Walden said.
