We often hear it said, timing, is everything. If you subscribe to that thought you will probably find it odd that our Governor is now proposing tens of thousands of acres of new wilderness. The timing seems to be particularly questionable for the 25,000 plus acres of new wilderness proposed in Douglas County. That would be in addition to the 11 legislated wilderness areas that have been created since 1968.
The Wassen Creek proposal in western Douglas County creates additional concerns because it contains O&C lands. The O&C Act, which provides the Federal guidelines for management of the 2.2 million acres of O&C land, clearly identifies the dominant use of the lands to be permanent timber production. With counties such as our struggling to maintain an active Federal timber management program, one cannot help but ask, “ why now and why there?”
The proposal is clearly in direct conflict with the Federal law prescribing the management objective set by Congress for these lands. Further questions arise when we examine the physical characteristics of the land described in the proposal. The main purpose of the 1964 Wilderness Act was to ensure that lands, which fit the definition of “wilderness”, would be kept in their original and untouched, natural state. Even the untrained eye, when looking at photographs of these lands, will immediately see that this area has been logged and managed for timber production within the relative recent past. Simply put by definition, the land base in this proposal does not meet the criteria for a wilderness designation. We will continue to work together with our state and Federal partners to identify both short-term and long-term solutions to the challenges of natural resource management. In so doing, let’s make sure we put as many of those potential solutions as possible on the table.
The temporary resolution to the financial crisis facing county government is the safety net. The long-term resolution lies in the ability of all stakeholders to agree on a management plan that provides for the environmental protection that the public demands and funding for basic services that the public also demands.
Can we find the balance point that provides both essential elements of a management plan? Let me answer in this way. In 1941, America, unready for war and leaning toward isolationism, was shaken to its very foundation by the attack on Pearl Harbor. What did Americans do? By the millions, they answered the call. They used their ingenuity and gritty persistence to engage the axis powers in a two front war and in less than 48 months, beat the enemies of Freedom and democracy into total submission. Early in his presidency John Kennedy declared that it would be a goal of the highest priority to put a man on the moon. While the nation and world listened with understandable skepticism, a short six years later, the world community watched as Neil Armstrong took his historic “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”, on the moon.
Can we find a solution that protects the environment while providing adequate resources for our county and community? Of course we can! It will take cooperation, communication, and teamwork by those not interested in personal recognition, but fiercely committed to achieving the goal for their communities and for the generations yet to come.