The Public Lands Conservation Legacy of Senator Ron Wyden, Part 2: An Opportunity for Greatness
Figure 1. US Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) walking Cannon Beach. Haystack Rock, part of the Oregon Islands Wilderness within the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, is in the background. Source: Wyden for Senate Campaign.
This is the second in a series of two Public Lands Blog posts on the public lands conservation legacy of Senator Ron Wyden. Part 1 examined the public lands conservation legacy of his first forty-five years in federal office. Part 2 considers his remaining three, or maybe nine, or maybe fifteen years in the US Senate
As discussed in Part 1, Senator Ron Wyden has done much to preserve wilderness and wild and scenic rivers in Oregon, but not as much as other members of the Oregon congressional delegation of the past. He could do more, particularly to achieve the aim he is most passionate about: saving old-growth forests. In addition, he could pick up some dropped balls, finish some pending and unfinished business, and take up some new business.
Some Dropped Balls
Over the decades, Wyden has introduced some unsuccessful bills to elevate the conservation status of certain public lands in Oregon. Wyden should consider picking up these dropped balls and pitching them again with a different spin this time.
Owyhee Canyonlands
Wyden has offered legislation pertaining to Oregon’s Owyhee Canyonlands for several sessions of Congress. The bills have evolved from the beyond horrible (2017) to a significant net gain for conservation (2024). The problem is that Representative Cliff Bentz (R-OR-2nd), who represents Malheur County in the US House of Representatives, now says he wants to do Owyhee legislation as well. Bentz’s interest was originally motivated by the prospect of President Biden proclaiming the area a national monument in 2024. The prospect of such was good, but one Biden criterion for a monument proclamation was for a Democratic senator to ask the White House to do it. Wyden refused.
Wyden has reintroduced his Malheur Community Empowerment for the Owyhee Act (S.1942, 119th Congress). It is expected that Representative Bentz will soon introduce his Owyhee bill. It is further expected that the Bentz bill will be horrible.
This Wyden bill was the product of a multiyear negotiation among conservationists, livestock ranchers, local economic development officers, and other interests. All interests signed off on the current Wyden bill. No such agreement will be reached on the Bentz bill. In Wyden’s book, It Takes Chutzpah, Ron’s Rules of Chutzpah #2 is about playing the long game. Trying to cut a deal with Bentz in a Congress where Bentz’s party is in the majority will not end well. Better to continue the long game and wait for a Congress where Bentz is again in the minority to legislate or a Democrat is in the White House to proclaim protection.
See Public Lands Blog posts “Owyhee Canyonlands: Faux Conservation and Pork Barrel Development” (2017), “Senator Wyden’s Owyhee Wilderness, and More, Legislation” (2022), “Malheur County Federal Land Legislation Take 4, Part 1: The Good, the Whatever, and the Bad” (2023), “Malheur County Federal Land Legislation Take 4, Part 2: The Ugly, the Missing, and the Alternative” (2023), and “Wyden’s Awesome Owyhee Opportunity” (2024).
Cathedral Rock and Horse Heaven Wilderness
Wyden’s legislation to designate two wilderness areas along the lower John Day River was introduced with great fanfare, but it was dependent upon some voluntary land exchanges with some local land barons who later changed their minds. No effort was made to get the legislation back on track.
National Recreation Areas
Wyden started out with a pretty good bill that would have established a National Recreation Area System to encompass NRAs on any federal land. However, he decided to water it down in an attempt to get on board a horrible anti–public lands chair of the House Natural Resources Committee. It became less than a nothing burger. Fortunately, the bill died and has not been heard of since. Good National Recreation Area System legislation is still a good idea.
Oregon Eastside Forest Legislative Protection
Wyden got conservationists and Big Timber to agree on conserving and restoring old-growth forests on Oregon’s east side (where spotted owls are not). Then Big Timber screwed Wyden by walking away.
Westside BLM Forest Legislation
Later, Wyden offered legislation to resolve some longstanding conflicts over the management of BLM holdings in western Oregon. Again, Big Timber screwed him, and he could not proceed.
Figure 2. The Spring Basin Wilderness, established in 2009 by legislation sponsored by Senator Wyden. Source: Bureau of Land Management.
Pending Business
Don’t push rocks up hills. Push boulders. They will fall back on you, but you’ll gain the strength to get to the top. —Ron’s Rules of Chutzpah #7
Wyden has long proposed some Oregon public lands designations that have not yet made it into law, including these:
• Molalla [National] Recreation Area
• Rogue Canyon [National] Recreation Area
• Wild Rogue Wilderness Additions
• Southwest Oregon Watershed and Salmon Protection Act
• Owyhee Canyonlands
(“[National]” is inserted above twice because Wyden’s first bills would have designated the areas as such. When the bills finally made it through official markup by the committee of jurisdiction, the Republicans in charge didn’t want the BLM to have their first national recreation areas. This should be fixed as these areas are nationally important.) While extremely important, these “rocks” of various sizes are indeed rocks—bigger than pebbles, but not boulders.
Wyden is rolling one Oregon public lands conservation boulder, and what a boulder it is! His proposed River Democracy Act would be a record-size wild and scenic rivers bill (leaving Hatfield’s 1988 Omnibus Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in the dust).
See Public Lands Blog “Wyden’s Unprecedently Good Wild and Scenic Rivers Legislation” (2021)
We can hope that all of these areas and streams will become protected by law before the end of Senator Wyden’s current term in 2028.
Unfinished Business
Wyden has yet to address one ultra-important public lands conservation matter: permanent congressional protection of mature and old-growth forests.
It’s time for Ron to introduce legislation to—as he has long wanted to do—save the remaining mature and old-growth forests in Oregon. Wyden pioneered the legislative language in a bill to address western Oregon BLM lands in the early teens of this century, which did not become law. It is time to dust off the mature and old-growth forest protection language and apply it to all mature and old-growth forests on all national forests and BLM holdings everywhere. The threats to mature and old-growth forests from the current malevolent administration require a prompt congressional response.
Figure 3. The Lower White River Wilderness, established in 2009 as part of Senator Wyden’s Mount Hood legislation. Source: Wikipedia (Bureau of Land Management).
New Business
If indeed my friend Ron is going to go again for six more years in the Senate by running again in 2028, he ought to make some public commitments well before that election to significantly up his Oregon public lands conservation legacy. Saving such areas for this and future generations is immensely popular among Oregon voters. Such would be highly unpopular among a vocal minority of Oregonians who overwhelmingly oppose selling off public lands but are happy enough selling out public lands to industrial interests. Besides the huge legacy that Wyden could leave for future generations, planting a huge Oregon public lands conservation flag now can help inoculate the five-time incumbent senator to either avoid or survive a primary challenge.
Where should this public lands conservation flag be planted, and how much land are we talking about? I happen to have some ideas.
National Wilderness Preservation System Expansion
Millions of acres of Forest Service wilderness study areas, inventoried roadless areas, and uninventoried roadless areas ought to be in the National Wilderness Preservation System. In addition, millions of acres of BLM wilderness study areas and identified lands with wilderness characteristics ought to be in the National Wilderness Preservation System.
National Park System Expansion
Some examples:
• Crater Lake National Park and John Day Fossil Beds National Monument should be enlarged.
• A North Oregon Coast Range National Park should be established.
See Public Lands Blog post “A North Oregon Coast Range National Park: Sorely Needed but a Hell of a Long Shot” (2020).
• Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument should be transferred from the BLM to the National Park Service.
National Forest System Expansion
As one example, forestlands in both western and eastern Oregon currently administered by the BLM should be transferred to the Forest Service.
National Wildlife Refuge System Expansion
Some examples:
• The Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge should be expanded to the south to abut the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge in Nevada and to the west to include the Warner Wetlands.
• A Lake Abert Rim National Wildlife Refuge needs to be established.
• BLM lands along the Oregon Coast should be transferred to the Fish and Wildlife Service.
• Several more national wildlife refuges should be established in the Willamette Valley, along the Oregon coast, and elsewhere in the state.
National What-Have-You Areas
Some examples:
• The Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area should be expanded and transferred to the National Park Service.
• A Douglas-Fir National Monument should be legislatively established in the western and high Cascades, administered by the Forest Service or the National Park Service.
• A Nez Perce National Protection Area should be legislatively established to elevate the conservation status of a good deal of the Wallowa National Forest.
• An Elk River Watershed National Protection Area should be established in southwest Oregon.
• The Trout Creek Mountains, the Pueblo Mountains, the Fort Rock Lava Beds, the Lost Forest–Shifting Sand Dunes, and the Owyhee Canyonlands should all become BLM national conservation areas.
• The Sandy River watershed should be established as a national heritage area.
Figure 4. The River Styx in the Oregon Caves National Monument, the nation’s first underground wild and scenic river. Senator Wyden and others legislated its protection in 2014. Source: National Park Service.
Marine Protected Areas
Using authority granted under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), President Biden banned oil and gas development offshore Oregon. President Trump is seeking to reverse this ban. OCSLA Section 12(a) appears to be a one-way street in this regard (a president can ban but cannot unban oil and gas development; only Congress can); however, the courts have yet to rule on this point. In any case, offshore Oregon needs protection from wind energy and other threats. A national marine sanctuary overlay with an underlay of more specific marine protection areas is in order.
National Wild and Scenic Rivers System Expansion
Even if the senator’s proposed River Democracy Act becomes law, worthy free-flowing streams not named in that bill still need to be included in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
National Trails System Expansion
Some examples:
• A protective half-mile corridor needs to be established by Congress to prevent logging, mining, and other harmful activities near the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, the Oregon National Historic Trail, and the California (Applegate) National Historic Trail.
• The Oregon Desert Trail and the Oregon Coast Trail ought to be established as “scenic” trails within the National Trails System.
• All national “recreation” trails in Oregon should fully become a permanent part of the National Trails System.
For More Information
Jaquiss, Nigel. January 22, 2025. Wyden Decided Against Protecting the Owyhee: Oregonians May Not Get Another Chance Soon. Willamette Week.
Senator Wyden’s official website and his campaign website.
Figure 5. The Nestucca Wild and Scenic River, established in 2019 by Senator Wyden’s legislation. Source: Erik Fernandez, Oregon Wild (first appeared in Oregon Wild: Endangered Forest Wilderness, 2004).
Bottom Line: To be remembered as the greatest public lands conservationist to come out of the Oregon congressional delegation, Wyden needs to step up his game.