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Protect the Mount Hood Wilderness from Unnecessary Permanent Monitoring Stations and Helicopter Landings!
The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have issued a Preliminary Assessment for their “USGS Volcanic Monitoring Stations in Mount Hood Wilderness” in Oregon. Your help is needed by August 26 to protect Mount Hood from decades of unwarranted helicopter incursions and unnecessary permanent structures that will mar this spectacular Wilderness!
USGS proposes to develop four new monitoring stations within the Mount Hood Wilderness on Mount Hood itself, three stations for seismic and GPS monitoring, and one station for continuous volcanic gas monitoring. USGS intends to use these stations for a minimum of 30 years. But the stations are the type of structures and installations prohibited by the 1964 Wilderness Act. And helicopter flights and landings would be used to service the stations for these 30 years and probably in perpetuity, another violation of the Wilderness Act.
USGS has a fat budget for such monitoring and wants to put lots of new research stations on Cascade peaks. No doubt these stations would generate some additional technical information beyond what the existing 10 monitoring stations on or near Mount Hood currently provide, but how much information is enough on a volcano that is dormant and shows no signs of unrest?
One thing is for certain: the permanent installations and regular helicopter traffic will certainly degrade the wilderness conditions in the Mount Hood Wilderness and the experiences of those who visit. Are we willing to sacrifice the Mount Hood Wilderness to permanent structures and interminable helicopter traffic for just a bit more seismic information? The Wilderness Act says no, and those who support the Act and the Mount Hood Wilderness should, too.
The FS has unfortunately abdicated its responsibility to preserve the wilderness character of the Mount Hood Wilderness by simply dismissing the impacts to Wilderness as acceptable since the project is for scientific research. This is certainly an improper reading of the 1964 Wilderness Act, and would also seemingly allow almost anything in Wilderness if done as part of some scientific research.
Wilderness Watch supports scientific research in Wilderness that does not degrade wilderness conditions or violate the 1964 Wilderness Act. Unfortunately the proposed project does both.
Make your voice heard and submit your comments to the U.S. Forest Service by the August 26, 2016 deadline. Thank you!
Please ACT NOW to protect the Mount Hood Wilderness!
Thank you for taking action to protect the Mount Hood Wilderness in Oregon!
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