A proposal to protect nearly 1 million acres of federal lands in southeastern Oregon will be up for debate at a House Natural Resources subcommittee this week, spotlighting a plan that has drawn scorn from environmental groups.
The Subcommittee on Federal Lands will also discuss at Tuesday’s hearing a slew of bills aimed at giving ranchers flexibility in managing cattle on federal lands. A separate Natural Resources subcommittee this week will examine bills dealing with the Colorado River basin.
But Oregon Republican Rep. Cliff Bentz’s bill, H.R. 10082, is likely to receive the most attention. The “Oregon Owyhee Wilderness and Community Protection Act,” which he filed this month, would designate 16 new wilderness parcels covering 926,588 acres in the Owyhee Canyonlands.
Congressionally designated wilderness areas are afforded the highest levels of protection and are generally off-limits to human activities except hiking, canoeing and some hunting and fishing.
