The Monroe Monitor & Valley News, Monroe, Washington, The Voice of the Sky Valley Since 1899

Wild Sky Wilderness bill close to passing

by POLLY KEARY, STAFF WRITER

After nine years of effort, wilderness advocates are on the verge of celebrating the creation of the first new wilderness area in 20 years, a 106,000-acre parcel of forest land near Index.

"I'm not going to jinx the bill by celebrating yet," said U.S. Senator Patty Murray, who with Representative Rick Larsen introduced the bill in the legislature. When a law is introduced into the legislature, it has two years to pass in both the House and Senate or it has to start over. Three times, the bill passed in the Senate, but failed to pass the House. Last year, the bill passed in the House for the first time. Thursday, it passed in the Senate for the fourth time.

Now only two steps remain.

The bill is part of a larger package of laws on public lands and natural resources, and it passed in the Senate 91-4. The Wild Sky bill has already been approved in the House.
But now the House must pass the package as a whole. From there, the package passes to the President for a signature.

Although it's too soon to celebrate, said Mike Town, President of Friends of Wild Sky, he doesn't anticipate a roadblock. "The president has said that he will sign the bill," said Town.

Governor Christine Gregoire gave much of the credit to Murray and Larsen, who represents the 2nd Legistlative district, including the Sky Valley. "As an avid hiker and lover of the outdoors, I could not be more pleased by today's news that we are one step closer to protecting over 100,000 acres of wilderness in Snohomish County. Senator Patty Murray and Representative Rick Larsen deserve much of the credit for championing this legislation since 2002," she said. "Their tireless efforts may lead to the first wilderness preservation action in Washington state in decades, and it's my sincere hope that future generations will be able to experience this region as it exists today."

Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon also applauded to movement forward of the bill. "From the beginning, I've been a proponent of the Wild Sky Wilderness legislation, and I'm glad to see it may finally be approved," Reardon said. "This is a great recreational opportunity for residents in Snohomish County and again highlights how vast and beautiful this county really is."

The bill, despite wide support in the legislature, has been controversial. Supporters praised the effort, because much of the Wild Sky area is at a lower elevation and thus more accessible year round than most other wildernes areas. It is also very close to urban areas, giving urbanites close proximity to wilderness, proponents said.

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But opponents have objected to reduced recreational opportunities. Wilderness designation means no motors are allowed in the area, and that means four wheelers, dirt bikes and off road vehicles will no longer be able to use the area. The bill was held up in the House of Representatives in past years by Richard Pombo (R-California) the chairman of the powerful Natural Resources committee, because the land bore traces of prior human use.

Wilderness designation is meant to preserve pristine areas and Wild Sky's old logging roads and second growth forest rendered it ineligible for the protection, he maintained.
When he lost his reelection bid, and when Democrats took hold of the majority in the House in 2007, major opposition to the bill was removed.

The wilderness designation is somewhat misunderstood, said Town. "Wilderness is about keeping things the same," he said. "Things change, so if we want these areas to be available 20, 30 or 40 years form now, we need to secure that now."

The House of Representatives could vote on the bill in as little as a week, lawmakers said.

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