Number: 2004-03
WHEREAS, the Wild Sky Wilderness proposal will protect more than 106,000 acres of National Forest land already in public ownership in the state of Washington; and
WHEREAS, Wild Sky Wilderness will directly protect more than 25 miles of salmon and steelhead spawning streams, and would sustain continuing health for many more miles of downstream spawning habitat by protecting critical forested watersheds; and
WHEREAS, the north fork of the Skykomish River, its tributaries, and its watershed are important habitat for fish and other wildlife; and
WHEREAS, the Wild Sky Wilderness will protect about 80,000 acres of old-growth and mature, natural second-growth forest with approximately 14,000 acres of rare low-elevation old growth, which includes many trees 6 to 8 feet in diameter, 210 to 250 feet tall and more than 300 years old; and
WHEREAS, the Wild Sky Wilderness would protect important habitat for endangered and other sensitive species, including the northern spotted owl, marbled murrelet, bald eagle, mountain goat (including winter range), pine marten, pileated woodpecker, cougar, wolverine, lynx, and grizzly bear; and
WHEREAS, the Wild Sky Wilderness protects existing high quality opportunities for summer and winter recreation, including fishing and hunting, hiking, backpacking, cross-country skiing, bird watching, and snowshoeing, and moreover establishes the first wheel chair accessible trail in a wilderness area; and
WHEREAS, wilderness areas provide the most expansive landscapes of roadless public land and some of the nation’s last and best opportunities to protect undisturbed habitat for wildlife, especially large game animals; and
WHEREAS, solitude found in wilderness contributes to high quality hunting and fishing experiences; and
WHEREAS, the Wild Sky Wilderness proposal has passed the United States Senate with broad bi-partisan support, has support in the United States House of Representatives, and the Bush Administration has committed to sign Wild Sky Wilderness into law; and
WHEREAS, September 3, 2004 will mark the 40th anniversary of The Wilderness Act, which established the national wilderness preservation system “to secure for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of wilderness”; and
WHEREAS, The Wilderness Act calls for “an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor and does not remain…”; and
WHEREAS, the Wilderness Act followed a 40 year legislative journey and was signed by President Lyndon Johnson after seven years and sixty-six revisions after the original bill was introduced in Congress,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, at its annual meeting assembled March 11-13, 2004, in St. Louis, Missouri, commemorates the 40th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act and recognizes the vital role that wilderness plays in protecting American wildlife habitat and high quality hunting and fishing experiences; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the National Wildlife Federation supports the designation of the Wild Sky Wilderness in the state of Washington for future generations.