FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bend-based group seeks consensus in campaign to protect the Badlands

Advocates for the Badlands, 15 miles east of Bend, are pushing legislation for the area to be designated as wilderness.

By Kate Ramsayer, The Bulletin

The yellow signs urging support for a Badlands wilderness have been popping up on area lawns, volunteers have been canvassing door-to-door and more than 1,500 people have written to members of Oregon’s congressional delegation to support the idea of permanently protecting the 33,000-acre High Desert parcel east of Bend.

The campaign to add the Badlands to Oregon’s wilderness areas is focusing on gaining as much local support as possible to push for legislation this year, even if Deschutes County remains officially neutral on the subject, organizers said Tuesday.

“The push has really been on bringing out the grass-roots support, and I think that’s something really unique and important about the wilderness campaign,” said Ruth Morrison, the grass-roots organizer with the Oregon Natural Desert Association, a Bend-based conservation organization. “People on a very local level have a pretty big influence on national and federal designation.”

The Badlands, managed by the Bureau of Land Management, boasts old growth juniper trees and pictographs, and provides important habitat for wildlife including deer and pronghorn antelope, said Brent Fenty, the Oregon Natural Desert Association’s executive director. It’s also a place for day-hikers to find solitude 15 miles from Bend.

In 2005, the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners decided not to take a stand on whether the Badlands should become a wilderness area.

“We’ve pretty much taken the position of neutrality,” said Commissioner Mike Daly. “Until everyone gets on board and there’s some agreement, I don’t think this will move forward.”

He noted that most of the opposition was from off-highway vehicle advocates, and that he had concerns as well that declaring an area as wilderness would cut off access for disabled people and the elderly.

“We’ve had a series of public hearings on it, and you ended up with three commissioners voting three different ways, and the community is split along different lines,” said Commissioner Dennis Luke.

In 2005, the board’s endorsement had been necessary, since a former congressional representative from California, Richard Pombo, had chaired the House Resources Committee and one of his messages was that county commissions had to formally endorse a proposal before land could be designated as wilderness, Fenty said.

Although Pombo is not in Congress anymore, Fenty said the county’s support would still be important and valued in the effort.

“Our hope is the county commission and Oregon’s congressional delegation will sort of see how strong support is for Badlands, and move forward with protecting that area,” he said.

But county commissioners said they doubted the issue would be brought up again for discussion.

However, Commissioner Tammy Melton said she is contemplating signing a letter of support for the wilderness designation, as an individual commissioner.

“It saves it,” she said of the designation. “It makes sure that my daughter’s children have the opportunity to go out and enjoy this piece of very unique landscape.”

Staff with the office of U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said they’ve always been supportive of the effort create a wilderness area east of Bend.

“We’ve never been opposed to the idea of a Badlands wilderness. It’s all been a case of who in the community is going to support it and how wide the support is,” said spokesman Tom Towslee. It’s easier if there is consensus within the community, he said, but if the Oregon Natural Desert Association comes forward with a proposal, it’s a good place to start considering the issue.

Others stress the need for agreement.

“The key to success at the federal level is consensus at the local level,” wrote a spokeswoman from Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., in an e-mail. “We will encourage all groups to work together to find agreement before pursuing legislation.”

There are people who oppose the designation. Bob Flint, a member of the Ochoco Trail Riders, said he thinks it would be sad if the area becomes a wilderness and permanently excluded motorized opportunities, not only for recreation purposes but for the handicapped or people who enjoy just going out for a Sunday drive.

“You put wilderness on it, and you’ve just locked the door,” Flint said.

But the BLM already closed the Badlands to motorized vehicles in 2005, Fenty said, and making it wilderness would not block any new trails. He hopes a member of the congressional delegation will step forward and introduce legislation to officially designate the area as wilderness.

“We’d love to see some legislation introduced any day now, tomorrow would be good,” Fenty said. “That’s our hope, that we’ll see Badlands protected this year.”

Kate Ramsayer can be reached at 617-7811 or kramsayer@bendbulletin.com.

###