From Puerto Rico to Northern California, the 109th Congress designated just over one million acres of new wilderness. We have summarized some of these bills and the areas included below.
See a full list of wilderness legislation introduced in the 109th Congress here and keep an eye on our updated list of wilderness campaigns in the 100th Congress.
Ojito Wilderness Act - New Mexico
The Ojito Wilderness Act was first introduced in 2003 in the first session of the 108th Congress. The House and Senate passed different versions of Ojito Wilderness Act in the 108th Congress, but time ran out before the two bodies could reconcile the different measures and pass identical versions of the bill. In January 2005, Senators Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Pete Domenici (R-NM) and Representatives Tom Udall (D-NM) and Heather Wilson (R-NM) reintroduced identical versions of the bill. The bill was approved unanimously on the Senate floor in July and the House voted unanimously to support the Senate-passed version of the bill (S. 156) on October 18, 2005.
The measure designates more than 11,000 acres of picturesque public land northwest of Albuquerque as Wilderness. The measure also allows the Pueblo of Zia to purchase certain public lands buffering the area. The lands to be purchased by the Pueblo of Zia will remain open to the general public and will be managed as open, undeveloped space in perpetuity.
Caribbean National Forest Wilderness Act - Puerto Rico
“This forest, which was established by Theodore Roosevelt over a century ago, is vitally important to the people of Puerto Rico as a source of clean drinking water and recreational opportunities,” said William H. Meadows, president of The Wilderness Society. “The designation of the El Toro Wilderness will ensure that this one-of-a-kind forest is protected for future generations.”
The forest features 50 varieties of orchids and the Puerto Rican parrot, one of the ten most endangered birds in the world. Biologists estimate that this parrot’s population has declined from a million at the time of Columbus’s arrival to less than 100 today. The forest is home to 240 native tree species, more than are found in any other national forest.
Cedar Mountain Wilderness, as part of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2006 - Utah
The Cedar Mountain Wilderness Area is less than an hour drive from Salt Lake City, where over 80% of Utah’s population lives. The Cedar Mountain range runs north –south through the Great Salt Lake Desert, rising 7,700 ft with a rugged topography of canyons and ridgelines. This juniper-pinion area provides great recreational opportunities and is home to wildlife including mule deer, pronghorn antelope, coyotes, bobcats, golden eagles, and an occasional mountain lion.
Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act - California
The Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act has designated 275,000 acres of public land as wilderness and 21 miles as Wild and Scenic River in California’s first congressional district. This district stretches from the Oregon border all the way down to West Sacramento and includes some of the most scenic and rugged country in all of California.
The bill has protected some of the North Coast’s most incredible areas including the King Range, the longest stretch of undeveloped coastline in the lower 48. The Cache Creek area is just a short drive from the Sacramento area and home to an incredible wildflower display in the spring and California’s second largest wintering bald eagle population. This bill also takes important steps toward preserving intact watersheds vital to the health of the North Coast’s imperiled salmon and steelhead runs.
New England Wilderness Act - New Hampshire and Vermont
This legislation designates as wilderness 42,000 acres (of the 80,000 proposed in 2001 by Vermont Wilderness Association) of the Green Mountain National Forest and 34,500 acres in the White Mountain National Forest. In addition, the bill creates a 17,000-acre Moosalamoo National Recreation Area in the Green Mountain National Forest.
White Pine County Wilderness, as part of the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006
Key conservation measures include designation of 557,000 acres of wilderness on lands managed by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management in Nevada. “We want to thank Senator Reid, Senator Ensign and their staff for their leadership and hard work that led to the passage of this important piece of legislation,” said John Wallin of the Nevada Wilderness project.
“The White Pine County public lands bill protects a number of unique places and important wildlife habitat,” added Shaaron Netherton, Executive Director of Friends of Nevada Wilderness.
