Deschutes-Steelhead Falls Wilderness Study Area:
Public Lands Worth Protecting
Summary of President Marilynne Keyser's Testimony Before Senate Committee, August 2018
FANs is a local stewardship organization based at Crooked River Ranch (CRR) that was started six years ago by neighbors who love the incredible river canyons bordering CRR and believe in the importance of local involvement in managing public lands.
With our nearly 400 members and an additional 600 participants and volunteers our mission is to preserve and restore the wild landscapes of the Whychus-Deschutes area, which includes the Deschutes Canyon-Steelhead Falls Wilderness Study Area (WSA) that will be impacted by HR 2075.
FANs has long recognized the need to implement fire risk reduction measures on both public and private lands in and around CRR.
FANs worked for over a year with others in the community, including the fire chief, the homeowners association board President, and the appropriate federal agencies, to develop a collaborative concept that would ensure CRR is better protected from wildfire while also resolving the status of the entire WSA, one of the most scenic, wild places in Central Oregon.
A concept emerged that is a true win-win solution. This approach would result in fire risk mitigation activities in the form of fuels treatment on BLM lands adjacent to CRR, wilderness protection for certain qualified public lands, and release of certain lands from WSA status.
Our organization is not opposed to WSA release. In fact it was FANs representatives on the working group that introduced the idea as a part of the collaborative process. But we have several serious concerns about the approach of HR 2075.
Although the public lands impacted by HR 2075 are located in our backyard at CRR, Whychus-Deschutes contains outstanding recreation opportunities, one of the highest concentrations of cultural sites and artifacts in our region, and critical habitat for native plants, fish and wildlife. All of these resources are currently threatened by illegal off-road vehicle abuse, recreation overuse, and vandalism. Certain public lands in this area need and deserve permanent protection.
Finally, we need to ensure land managers have the direction and the resources to tackle these complex and serious issues. We believe a comprehensive solution based on true local collaboration is possible for this area. I urge the committee to expand this bill to address the concerns of all the stakeholders of this incredible wild landscape.
CLICK HERE to read Marilynne Keyser's HR 2075 written testimony.
Public Lands Worth Protecting
Summary of President Marilynne Keyser's Testimony Before Senate Committee, August 2018
FANs is a local stewardship organization based at Crooked River Ranch (CRR) that was started six years ago by neighbors who love the incredible river canyons bordering CRR and believe in the importance of local involvement in managing public lands.
With our nearly 400 members and an additional 600 participants and volunteers our mission is to preserve and restore the wild landscapes of the Whychus-Deschutes area, which includes the Deschutes Canyon-Steelhead Falls Wilderness Study Area (WSA) that will be impacted by HR 2075.
FANs has long recognized the need to implement fire risk reduction measures on both public and private lands in and around CRR.
FANs worked for over a year with others in the community, including the fire chief, the homeowners association board President, and the appropriate federal agencies, to develop a collaborative concept that would ensure CRR is better protected from wildfire while also resolving the status of the entire WSA, one of the most scenic, wild places in Central Oregon.
A concept emerged that is a true win-win solution. This approach would result in fire risk mitigation activities in the form of fuels treatment on BLM lands adjacent to CRR, wilderness protection for certain qualified public lands, and release of certain lands from WSA status.
Our organization is not opposed to WSA release. In fact it was FANs representatives on the working group that introduced the idea as a part of the collaborative process. But we have several serious concerns about the approach of HR 2075.
- Removing 832 acres from the WSA alone will not insure that necessary fuels reduction to reduce fire risk will take place and the fragile rim habitat will be protected. FANs believes that the released lands should be designated as a special management area to prioritize fire prevention and define appropriate and responsible recreation for the area.
- Abandoning the local stakeholder process, HR 2075 simply adopts a single recommendation while ignoring the remainder. FANs believes that this action ignores Oregon’s long history of balanced and locally-driven legislation that enjoys broad support.
- The bill does not resolve the status of the public lands currently managed as the Deschutes Canyon-Steelhead Falls WSA. FANs believes that the land that would remain after the release of the 832 acres should be permanently protected as wilderness.
- The bill does not address protection for lower Whychus Creek, a tributary of the Deschutes River. Many organizations are working to preserve this Central Oregon jewel including the Deschutes Land Trust that has acquired much of the private land holdings. FANs believes that the lower reaches of Whychus Canyon need to be permanently protected as either wilderness or a wild and scenic river.
Although the public lands impacted by HR 2075 are located in our backyard at CRR, Whychus-Deschutes contains outstanding recreation opportunities, one of the highest concentrations of cultural sites and artifacts in our region, and critical habitat for native plants, fish and wildlife. All of these resources are currently threatened by illegal off-road vehicle abuse, recreation overuse, and vandalism. Certain public lands in this area need and deserve permanent protection.
Finally, we need to ensure land managers have the direction and the resources to tackle these complex and serious issues. We believe a comprehensive solution based on true local collaboration is possible for this area. I urge the committee to expand this bill to address the concerns of all the stakeholders of this incredible wild landscape.
CLICK HERE to read Marilynne Keyser's HR 2075 written testimony.
A Letter From FANs President, Marilynne Keyser:
In FANs recent Action Alert, we shared our concerns about HR 5132, a bill introduced by Rep. Greg Walden that would move the boundary of the Deschutes-Steelhead Falls Wilderness Study Area (WSA) where it is adjacent to Crooked River Ranch (CRR) back to the eastern rim of the Deschutes Canyon in most places and to the river itself in several places.
FANs agrees that fuels reduction above the canyon rim is necessary to protect CRR. Most of FANs 230 members, and many hundreds of nonmembers who have participated in our restoration work, our cleanups, our hikes, our workshops and our winter lecture series live on the ranch. We worry about wildfires!
However, we are disappointed that the bill ignored other critical issues regarding the management of and permanent protection for the remainder of the WSA and other roadless areas west of the Deschutes River, including Lower Whychus Creek. As a result, FANs has taken a neutral position on HR 5132. I have asked Rep. Walden if he would consider amendments to his bill or meet with our stakeholder group to talk about these other issues. He said that he would be open to further discussion.
No one knows whether or not HR 5132 will become law. If it does, there are still problems. Nowhere in the legislation is the BLM directed to do the fuels reduction expediently nor is there an appropriation to fund such an effort. While the legislative process continues, FANs intends to do everything we can to work with the BLM to expedite an Environmental Assessment (EA) that will allow mechanized fuels reduction in the WSA above the canyon rim, to re-prioritize their budget to direct funds to this, and to do the fuels reduction in 2017. FANs will make this a priority for 2016. We hope to bring the stakeholders back together to get this done.
We want our members and the public to understand the collaborative efforts made by FANs and others in 2015 that were ignored by Rep. Walden in HR 5132. You can click on the link below to read the last draft of the guiding principles dated August 27, 2015, that were being developed by the working group which was headed by Rich Hoffman, the Fire Chief at Crooked River Ranch Fire and Rescue. This link also includes a map that shows a draft of the Proposed Whychus-Deschutes Wilderness and Special Management Area that was under consideration at that time. FANs is not wedded to the details in this map; however, it reflects many compromises that we were willing to make along the way.
Thanks for your continuing support for the Friends and Neighbors of the Deschutes Canyon Area.
In FANs recent Action Alert, we shared our concerns about HR 5132, a bill introduced by Rep. Greg Walden that would move the boundary of the Deschutes-Steelhead Falls Wilderness Study Area (WSA) where it is adjacent to Crooked River Ranch (CRR) back to the eastern rim of the Deschutes Canyon in most places and to the river itself in several places.
FANs agrees that fuels reduction above the canyon rim is necessary to protect CRR. Most of FANs 230 members, and many hundreds of nonmembers who have participated in our restoration work, our cleanups, our hikes, our workshops and our winter lecture series live on the ranch. We worry about wildfires!
However, we are disappointed that the bill ignored other critical issues regarding the management of and permanent protection for the remainder of the WSA and other roadless areas west of the Deschutes River, including Lower Whychus Creek. As a result, FANs has taken a neutral position on HR 5132. I have asked Rep. Walden if he would consider amendments to his bill or meet with our stakeholder group to talk about these other issues. He said that he would be open to further discussion.
No one knows whether or not HR 5132 will become law. If it does, there are still problems. Nowhere in the legislation is the BLM directed to do the fuels reduction expediently nor is there an appropriation to fund such an effort. While the legislative process continues, FANs intends to do everything we can to work with the BLM to expedite an Environmental Assessment (EA) that will allow mechanized fuels reduction in the WSA above the canyon rim, to re-prioritize their budget to direct funds to this, and to do the fuels reduction in 2017. FANs will make this a priority for 2016. We hope to bring the stakeholders back together to get this done.
We want our members and the public to understand the collaborative efforts made by FANs and others in 2015 that were ignored by Rep. Walden in HR 5132. You can click on the link below to read the last draft of the guiding principles dated August 27, 2015, that were being developed by the working group which was headed by Rich Hoffman, the Fire Chief at Crooked River Ranch Fire and Rescue. This link also includes a map that shows a draft of the Proposed Whychus-Deschutes Wilderness and Special Management Area that was under consideration at that time. FANs is not wedded to the details in this map; however, it reflects many compromises that we were willing to make along the way.
Thanks for your continuing support for the Friends and Neighbors of the Deschutes Canyon Area.
CLICK HERE to read Marilynne Keyser's IN MY VIEW letter to the Bend Bulletin published on May 11, 2016 .
