CRR wildfire protection bill heads to president’s desk

Bipartisan legislation introduced by Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., to better protect Crooked River Ranch from wildfire is part of major public lands legislation that won House approval on Tuesday and is headed to President Trump’s desk.

Walden said his Crooked River Ranch Fire Protection Act (H.R. 524) will allow for needed management of the fire fuels that surround the sprawling community that straddles the Jefferson and Deschutes county line, which will reduce the risk of wildfire for the approximately 5,500 residents living at the ranch.

“The Crooked River Ranch Fire Protection Act is essential to saving lives in Central Oregon,” Walden said Tuesday in a speech on the House floor.

“With another wildfire season just on the horizon, the people of Crooked River Ranch are deeply concerned that they could become the next Paradise, California. They are deeply concerned that their community could be turned into ash as wildfire feeds off the dense fuel loads that surround this community of 5,000 people,” Walden said.

“We do not want to see images like this, of homes turned to ash and lives destroyed, in Central Oregon when we have a real opportunity to prevent that from happening thanks to this bipartisan legislation,” he said. “I want to thank my senators, and Mr. Grijalva and Mr. Bishop for their work on this.”

Tuesday’s vote comes after Walden wrote to the leaders of the House Natural Resources Committee on February 15, calling for swift passage of the Crooked River Ranch Fire Protection Act.

Crooked River Ranch is an unincorporated community of about 5,500 residents, mostly in Jefferson County. The lands adjacent to the community are managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and are classified as a Wilderness Study Area (WSA).

Walden said these lands are in the highest risk category for exposure to devastating wildfire due to overstocked juniper stands under the federally mandated, and locally promulgated, Jefferson County Community Wildfire Protection Plan. The current WSA classification prevents mechanical fire prevention activities within these overstocked juniper stands.

Walden’s bill would adjust the boundaries of the WSAs to allow much-needed management of the excess fire fuels that surround Crooked River Ranch, reducing the danger of wildfire for the community who lives there.

Walden’s proposal also has broad support from fire officials and first responders in Jefferson County and throughout Oregon:

“This bill is long overdue and will be a welcome addition to all first responders responsible for protecting the life and property of Crooked River Ranch citizens. Additionally, it will allow local first responders and BLM managers to address the severe fire dangers that exist along the borders which abut private property.” — Oregon Fire Chiefs Association

“This bill has the potential to save lives and property at Crooked River Ranch and I’m glad to see Congressman Walden continuing to move this plan forward. With the current wilderness study area (WSA) boundary, practical firefighting and fire prevention activities are unavailable. The lack of fuel mitigation around Crooked River Ranch, due to wilderness restrictions codified in law, has created a dangerous environment and continues to threaten the people that live here.” — Harry Ward, Fire Chief of Crooked River Ranch Fire & Rescue

“As the elected Sheriff of Jefferson County, Oregon, this bill is extremely important to the life and property of an area under my protection. This bill will help mitigate wildfire from Crooked River Ranch by providing a defensible fire protection along the border of the Ranch which is presently contiguous with the WSAs.” — Jefferson County Sheriff Jim Adkins

Walden’s Crooked River Ranch Fire Protection Act passed the House and Senate by wide bipartisan votes, and is expected to be signed into law by President Trump. To read more about Walden’s legislation, please click here.

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News release from Sen. Ron Wyden on public lands bill:

Wyden on House Passage of Bipartisan Public Lands Bill: “Another Proud Chapter of Oregon’s Conservation Legacy”

Washington, D.C. – U.S.Sen. Ron Wyden today welcomed House passage of the bipartisan public lands legislation that passed the Senate earlier this month. The bill is the largest public lands package passed by Congress in a decade and includes important conservation and wildfire protections for Oregon secured by Wyden.

“At my town halls, and in line at the grocery store, I hear from Oregonian after Oregonian who wants our state’s special places protected. Now, even more of Oregon’s natural treasures will be preserved for future generations to enjoy, our recreation economy will continue to grow and thrive, and communities in Oregon will be better protected from the threat of wildfire,” said Wyden. “Today, I celebrate yet another proud chapter of Oregon’s conservation legacy, but this book is far from finished–and I’ll be coming back for more.”

When the bill is signed into law, Wyden will have championed the designation of 1,986 miles of Wild and Scenic rivers in Oregon–more than any other member of Congress, overall, for the contiguous 48 states–ensuring Oregon will have the most wild and scenic river designations in the continental United States.

Public Land and River Protections

The bipartisan public lands bill passed by Congress includes provisions of Wyden and Sen. Jeff Merkley’s Oregon Wildlands Act that will:

Create the Devil’s Staircase Wilderness by designating roughly 30,000 acres of remote lands in the Oregon Coast Range. Permanently protect the Chetco River–a critical source of drinking water and habitat for endangered salmon in southwest Oregon–from mining and mineral extraction. Designate 250 miles of prime Oregon salmon- and steelhead-producing rivers and streams as part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, including: about 120 miles of Rogue River tributaries; a 21-mile stretch of the Molalla River; 18 miles of Jenny Creek, which flows through the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument; 21 miles of Wasson Creek and Franklin Creek in the Siuslaw National Forest; and several important tributaries of the Elk River. Protect an additional 40 miles of Rogue River tributaries from mining and future dam installations.

Honor Oregon Couple’s Conservation Legacy with Steelhead Sanctuary

The bill also includes legislation introduced by Wyden, Merkley, and Rep. Peter DeFazio honoring Frank and Jeanne Moore, an Oregon couple with a distinguished legacy of conservation and habitat preservation. The Frank and Jeanne Moore Wild Steelhead Special Management Area Designation Act designates nearly 100,000 acres of Forest Service land north of the North Umpqua River as the “Frank and Jeanne Moore Wild Steelhead Special Management Area” and ensures the river, and the surrounding area, will protect steelhead habitat and preserve recreation opportunities for generations to come. Frank Moore returned to the North Umpqua after serving in the European theater during World War II and settled there, with Jeanne, guiding generations of fishers on the river.

Improved Wildfire Resiliency Efforts

The bipartisan public lands legislation includes a provision to improve the efforts of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to protect Crooked River Ranch, a community in Central Oregon, from the catastrophic effects of wildfire. The provision would release a small number of acres near Crooked River Ranch from a wilderness study area, and includes an amendment secured by Wyden to ensure those lands are managed for forest health and wildfire resiliency.