Wild sky has new life. Take 5 minutes to help.

I don't know how many of you are attuned to the Wild Sky Wilderness plan that has been kicked around the Senate and Congress for a while.

Basically, it takes a large portion of land which has already been developed near INDEX, WA and will make it a "Wilderness Area." I say that in quotes, because a wilderness area is supposed to be untouched by man. A "take only pictures, leave only footprints" mentality.

However, the land slated for wild sky already has developed roads and trails on it, to include mines, ORV trails, roads, horse trails, hiking trails, fishing areas, hunting areas. Etc. If wild sky passes, float planes will be allowed to land on Lake Isabel, which is included in the boundaries of the "wilderness area". Also, they want to allow use for bicycling, disabled hunting, fishing, camping, but no motorized access.

I as well as many others have been fighting this issue vehemantly. I have attended many meetings, rallys, county council discussions, written letters, and basically totally 100% disapproved of the plan.

We thought we had lost the fight, but there is a senator from OK, Senator Coburn who is opposing the bill based on the fact that it is going to cost lots of money to turn this area into a "country club". The bill IS in play S 520.

More information here.http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/312053_wildsky18.html

Please help us fight this bill. Call Sen. Coburn at 202-224-5754. Also go to his website to send an e-mail letting him know you are opposed to the bill. http://coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactSenatorCoburn.home United States Senator Tom Coburn :: Contact Senator Coburn :.

Please help us folks keep our pubilc land public. More info can be had by contacting Reiter Trail Watch. www.reitertrailwatch.org and also through the Snohomish County ORV council (pm me for the meeting details)

I thought this had already gone through?
It was all over the papers when this happened, what?, 8months ago or so?

Did I totally miss something?

I will read the attachment and write and call this senator.

Thanks Karl.

Michael

???? Are you saying that this has only made it throuugh the House and not the Senate? The article you sited is from April. Everything I Heard was that the Wilderness had been fully approved. A quick search didn't turn up anything contrary to that ---- But a lot of green propaganda.


I fully support wilderness area but feel that the noted hybrid usage proposed for Wild Sky is simply createing a Sierra Club Mecha at Tax payers expense.

Email sent.

On the subject of Wild Skies Act, What is the deal with Jacks Pass? I know it is in the Wild Skies area, but are you allow to go on a snowrun. IE drive on the roads. My logic is that the road has to remain usable since that is the only way in for people who live on the northern part of Index/Galena Rd to get to their homes.

Do you follow me?

Wild sky HAS NOT gone through thanks to Senator Coburn. We were ready to throw in the towel, and he spoke up.

Yes, jacks pass is in the wild sky area.

Done.

Copy of E-mail sent.

Senator Coburn,
My name is Ryan Barrett. I am an avid outdoor enthusiast, and OHV user from Washington State. I am writing to voice my opposition to Bill S. 520 Wild Sky Wilderness Act. For many years I have responsibly used and enjoyed areas that are now threatened by this Bill. I feel that the areas covered by the proposed Bill should be available to all who choose to responsibly use and enjoy them, not limited to a select few. Thank you for your support to keep our lands open, and your continued opposition to Bill S. 520.
Sincerely
Ryan Barrett

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Does this mean Jacks Pass snow runs this year?:yelclap: :yelclap:

Spending fight snags Wild Sky
By Jerry Cornfield
Herald Columnist
When Democrats surged into majority control of Congress this year, creation of the Wild Sky Wilderness area seemed to be, well, a slam dunk.

Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Rick Larsen, the Democrat architects of the proposal, gushed confidently about the prospects in a Feb. 7 conversation with reporters.

"This time we're going to make it happen," Murray pronounced.

For one thing, Wild Sky's chief foe in the House of Representatives, Republican Richard Pombo of California, had been deposed in the electoral uprising of 2006. Pombo had kept the bill from coming to a vote; his exit seemed to clear a path for action.

The Senate aroused little worry. Senators had waved a Wild Sky bill through in 2002, 2003 and 2005. The fourth time would be the charm.

Murray spoke that day of stars aligning for a summer signing of the bill that would place 106,000 acres in eastern Snohomish County under a blanket of federal protection.

As she spoke, the timbre of Mission Accomplished could be clearly heard in her voice.

Seven months later, the bill creating Wild Sky is as unsigned as it's ever been.

It wasn't supposed to be this difficult.

The hang-up isn't with representatives. The House passed it in May.

This year's human blockade is in the Senate in the body of Tom Coburn, a Republican from Oklahoma.

Coburn doesn't mind protecting Wild Sky — he voted for it in 2005. His issue is how to pay for it.

That's got it entangled in his grander crusade against congressional spending practices.

Coburn is the guy who last year tried to block funding for the Alaska "Bridge to Nowhere" linking Ketchikan to Gravina Island and its 50 people. Murray made a robust defense of the expenditure and the Senate rebuffed Coburn.

This year, Coburn is freely wielding one of a senator's powerful procedural weapons — putting a hold on any bill for any reason so it can't be voted on.

Coburn forewarned his colleagues he would do this to bills that propose to increase spending without offering reductions somewhere else.

Enter Wild Sky with a $19 million price tag from the Congressional Budget Office and without a suggested $19 million cut elsewhere.

He boxed it up with a couple dozen other bills authored by Democrats and Republicans, making Coburn a walking target of bipartisan frustration.

Senate leaders of both parties are now chatting with him to find a way to dislodge his hold on all those bills.

Wild Sky backers insist there's time. Those previous Senate votes came as late as November, they noted.

But with bigger issues such as funding government and fighting the war in Iraq dominating the Senate agenda, it may take until year's end for passage.

So supporters aren't reaching for the panic button. Only the pain reliever.

They hadn't planned on a headache like this until after the victory party.



Reporter Jerry Cornfield's column on politics runs every Sunday. He can be heard at 8 a.m. Monday on "The Morning Show" on KSER (90.7 FM). He can be reached at 360

Tracey,
Thanks for the post!!
Now I understand what I thought I under some time ago!!

On the other hand, it doesn't sound like this senator is interested in saving the land from the proposal. But with enough letters maybe it would make a difference in his reason for holding this up.

Michael

2xtreme said:

On the other hand, it doesn't sound like this senator is interested in saving the land from the proposal.
Michael

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Yeah, I wish I would have know that it was financial before I sent my letter thanking him for his support of our lands. Oh well, every little bit helps
-Ryan

Blkxjkrawler said:

Yeah, I wish I would have know that it was financial before I sent my letter thanking him for his support of our lands. Oh well, every little bit helps
-Ryan

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maybe he will figure out that if he supports the 4wheeling community the 4wheeling community will support him. The only way to do that would be to send enough emails.

I really wish I had paid attention to this whole fiasco from the start.

Wild Sky is proposed to be a MODIFIED Wilderness area. A true wilderness area is defined by a few basic rules: No wheeled vehicles (a hunter can't even use a sling trolley to bring out the game). No logging. Minimal human involvment in conservation (only suppress a wild fire if it is easy to do...), limited group sizes and permits required in many states to limit total number of visitors. This Modified area is going to include roads and wheeled access. It's also made up of second growth forest and much more accessable than the usual wilderness areas. It's really a bastardized land grab for the preservationists.
I personally love the wilderness areas that I have been fortunate enough to visit. ( http://www.gonorthwest.com/Washington/cascades/map_cascades.htm) I truly think that having those lands set aside in the way that they are is a national treasure. Unfortunately this Wild Sky thing is going to go through and a precedent will be set for createing bastardized Wilderness Preserves.

If by chance this proposal gets turned back by the funding technicality I will be joining the movement to at least reduce it's size and have it conform to the historic Wilderness defenition.