Wild Sky

Glacier Peak from the Scorpion Mountain Trail in the proposed Wild Sky Wilderness. By Pam Roy.

Responding to the hard work of advocates statewide, Senator Patty Murray and Congressman Rick Larsen introduced the Wild Sky Wilderness Act in the House and Senate—legislation that would designate about 106,000 acres of this area as Wilderness.  The proposed legislation would include the Henry M. Jackson Wilderness in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest borders about 110,000 acres of roadless wild country.  Three roadless areas near the town of Index — Ragged, Cady, and Eagle Rock — contain old-growth groves, precipitous summits like Mount Baring, and the raging Skykomish River.

What makes this wilderness legislation particularly exciting is that while previous legislation covered areas dominated by high rock and ice, this bill would protect several low elevation valleys and watersheds critical to wildlife habitat and water quality.  Several features distinguish this legislation from previous Wilderness bills.  Senator Murray and Congressman Larsen worked with snowmobile groups to preserve snow machine access to Windy Ridge.  As a result, the Washington State Snowmobile Association has taken a neutral position on the Wild Sky Wilderness bill.  Barclay Lake and the trail leading to it were left out of the Wilderness so that group size would not be limited.  Barclay Lake is traditionally visited by local scout groups.

The Wild Sky bill has passed the Senate unanimously three years in a row, but it failed to make it out of the House Committee to which it was referred for those three years.  This year, however, Wild Sky passed the House, but has been stalled in the Senate due the machinations of Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn.

What You Can Do

We have a fighting chance to preserve the Wild Sky this year.  Please contact your Senators and urge them to get Wild Sky moving again in the Senate.  To learn more about how to contact your elected officials visit WTA’s Action Center

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