Wild Olympics plan unveiled -- 126,000 acres proposed for wilderness
A sweeping plan, carefully vetted on the Olympic Peninsula, would designate 126,000 acres of mountains and forests on the peninsula as wilderness and protect 19 streams under the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
The Wild Olympics proposal will be unveiled Thursday by Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., and is supported by five Native American tribes, as well as such major peninsula businesses as Taylor Shellfish and Ocean Gold Seafoods.
The land proposed for protection is in the doughnut shaped Olympic National Forest, which surrounds Olympic National Park. One place admired by many who drive U.S. 101 -- a high forested ridge overlooking Lake Quinault.
"This proposal is the product of years of collaboration with local stakeholders and a shared commitment to preserving the precious natural features and resources of our prized Olympic Peninsula," Murray said in a statement.
The Wild Olympics proposal was first advanced by then-Rep. Norm Dicks, with a version introduced in 2012 by Murray. Dicks retired, and his successor Kilmer took to the drawing boards seeking a broad range of support. No politician takes the Olympic Peninsula for granted.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/wild-olympics-plan-unveiled-126000-acres-proposed-for-wilderness/ar-AAB8C93
