Representative Peter DeFazio this week introduced a bill to permanently protect a remote area of southwest Oregon, called the Devil’s Staircase.
House Bill 6484 would designate the more than 30 thousand acre parcel southwest of Eugene as wilderness. Josh Laughlin with the Eugene based conservation group Cascadia Wildlands supports the effort to preserve the area.
“This is a remnant slice of the coast range that’s never been logged, has withstood all encroachment and deserves permanent protection from congress.”
Laughlin’s says the area includes pristine salmon runs and some of the last remaining old growth forest in Oregon’s coast range. It’s unclear how successful DeFazio’s legislation will be with a Congress and president who are unfriendly to the environment.
In addition, this legislation designates approximately 14.4 miles of the Wasson and Franklin Creeks, which support native Coho and Chinook salmon, trout, and steelhead runs, as Wild and Scenic Rivers.