For Immediate Release


Sportsmen for Wild Olympics Announce New Endorsements & Film Featuring Prominent Local Guide Ashley Nicole Lewis

New Short Film “Salmon Streams for Our Future” Highlights Rivers in Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild & Scenic Rivers Act, Support from over 30 leading Hunting & fishing organizations & guides, Sportsmen Petition

Aberdeen WA, August 14^th, 2018 - Today the coalition of Olympic Peninsula hunters, anglers, and guides of Sportsmen for Wild Olympics released a new short film featuring prominent local fishing guide Ashley Nicole Lewis called ”Salmon Streams for Our Future”  <https://vimeo.com/284809681> to spotlight the headwaters, rivers and salmon streams that would be protected under the Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild & Scenic Rivers Act. It highlights the long list of support for Wild Olympics from local hunting & fishing organizations and Guides, and an interview with Ashley explains how the legislation is vital to protecting the land and waters from the increasing risks of development and habitat degradation and would help protect fishing for future generations. The short film closes with a request to other sportsmen to sign the Sportsmen For Wild Olympics Petition to help protect salmon streams for our future & enhance hunting & fishing access.

The group also announced signatures from over 600 Olympic Peninsula & Hood Canal area sportsmen & women on their petition to Congress in support of the Wild Olympics legislation. The signers urge lawmakers to keep the ancient forests & free-flowing rivers wild, stating “Wild Olympics would permanently protect critical habitat, headwaters & salmon streams on Olympic National Forest that are currently threatened by extreme "public land-transfer" & "Logging Without Laws" legislation & the new push for small-hydro development on our rivers. These sensitive spawning grounds are at risk as private industry & small hydro developers try to roll back temporary safeguards for our public lands. Only full, Congressionally-designated Wilderness & Wild & Scenic River safeguards will permanently protect salmon streams for our future.” The new support comes on the heels of endorsements by over 30 leading hunting and fishing organizations & local guides who have sent letters or signed petitions to Sens. Murray & Cantwell & Rep. Kilmer urging action to safeguard this area.  These include: 

Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association, Northwest Guides & Anglers Association

The Washington Wildlife Federation,

Izaak Walton League (Gr. Seattle Chapter) Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, (Washington Chapter)

Association of Northwest Steelheaders, 

The Gray Wolf Fly Fishing Club (Sequim)

SAGE Fly Rods

Waters West Guide Service (Montesano)

Doug Rose Fly Fishing (at request of family)

Bad Ash Fishing (Tahola)

Washington Council of Trout Unlimited

Little Stone Fly Fisher (Port Townsend)

Johnson Guide Service (Sequim)

The Wild Steelhead Coalition

Olympic Peninsula Skagit Tactics (Forks)

Able Guide Service (Seiku)

Washington River Fishing (Hoodsport )

Mike Z’s Guide Service (Forks)

Brazda’s Fly Fishing

Angler’s Obsession (Forks)

Sea Run Pursuits

Peninsula Sportsman Guide & Outfitting Service (Port Townsend)

Waters West Fly Fishing Outfitters (Port Angleles)

Piscatorial Pursuits (Forks

BACKGROUND, THREATS & ACCESS:

Many area hunters and anglers have long been supportive of the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild & Scenic Rivers Act (S. 483/H.R. 1285) legislation reintroduced last year by Sen. Murray and Rep. Kilmer, and participated in the four year public process initiated by local stakeholders and the lawmakers to craft a balanced protection plan for upper watersheds on Olympic Forest. The final revisions to the compromise proposal ensure it will not close roads or cost timber jobs. The bill would essentially simply make permanent current Forest Service safeguards for certain remote areas of Olympic National Forest containing critical backcountry spawning habitat, ancient forests & salmon streams – some of the healthiest, least degraded habitat left on the Peninsula.

The Sportsmen for Wild Olympics Leaders have also updated their website to help dispel some of the myths about Wild Olympics & access, highlighting the fact that it will not close one single mile of the 2,250 miles of roads on Olympic National Forest and that Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers protect and enhance hunting & fishing access (Click Here to Read Wild Olympics Protects & Enhances Access Without Closing Roads).  

The sportsmen are concerned that without immediate action on this issue, extreme logging and public land transfer legislation before Congress and the renewed push for small-hydro project development in Washington State are putting the remote backcountry headwaters and salmon streams on Olympic National Forest at risk.  (Click here to read the Sportsmen for Wild Olympics threats report, “Olympic Peninsula Rivers at Risk”).

TESTIMONIALS

Ashley Nicole Lewis of Bad Ash Fishing Guide Service “Conservation for me on the Olympic Peninsula means that the next generation and generations to come can come out here and experience the way that I experience it and the way my grandpa experienced it when he fished out here and that forever we always have this – what is wild and what is the Olympic Peninsula and our culture today.”

Dave Bailey, Past President of the Grey Wolf Fly Fishing Club in Sequim, WA and a co-founder of Sportsmen for Wild Olympics says the group is releasing the short film to show people that the threats to local salmon streams are real and that Wild Olympics is broadly supported in the local sportsmen community. “People think that because these areas appear as they’ve always been, that they are safe.  That is the furthest thing from the truth. There is a determined effort in Congress to roll back safeguards on our public lands and open these sensitive spawning grounds to small hydro development, industrial clear-cutting and more road building once more.  That's bad for fish, game, and sportsmen.  Wild and Scenic Rivers are managed to protect and enhance the values that make them eligible for designation that include recreational pursuits such as sportfishing. Only Congressionally-designated wilderness and Wild and Scenic River safeguards will permanently protect core backcountry elk habitat and critical salmon and steelhead spawning grounds against future development.  The Wild Olympics legislation would give our fish, wildlife and salmon streams the gold standard of protection they deserve.” 

Aaron O’Leary, head guide of Angler’s Obsession (Forks, WA),  puts it plainly; “Supporting Wild Olympics will help preserve the salmon and steelhead fishing on the Olympic Peninsula for future generations.” 

Roy Morris, Jr., and Owner/Head Guide for Able Guide Service out of Seiku & a co-founder of Sportsmen for Wild Olympics: “Wild Olympics will not only protect water quality and fish, but enhance public access.”

Casey Weigel – Owner & Head Guide of Waters West Guide Service in Montesano said “Through hard work and our passion for our rivers and fishing, my wife and I have grown our small business enough to be able to help 3 other year-round and seasonal local guides support families, who love fishing just as much as we do. I support the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild & Scenic Rivers Act because our rivers and our salmon are our lifeblood and, without them, businesses like ours, the local jobs they support, and the dollars they bring into our local economy would dry up. The Wild Olympics proposal would simply make the current safeguards protecting our rivers on Olympic National Forest permanent. That’s all it does. It doesn’t change access or cost timber jobs. And if it did, I wouldn’t support it, because my family works in the timber industry. There are many challenges facing our rivers and salmon, with lots of debate and millions of dollars spent trying to help restore clean water and habitat downstream. But one basic, simple piece of the foundation we can put in place now that won’t cost any of us anything, is to permanently protect the healthy habitat on the federal lands upstream against any misguided attempts to develop them in the future. That’s why I am a proud supporter of the Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild & Scenic Rivers Act. For Our Future.”

Olympic Peninsula Fly Fishing Guide Bob Triggs of Port Townsend (& a co-founder of Sportsmen for Wild Olympics). "We must not lose this critical opportunity to conserve and protect the headwaters and watershed forests that are vital to our wild fish, birds and wildlife. It is far simpler and less expensive to conserve the wilderness habitat that we have, rather than to attempt to restore these places later. The value of some wild places cannot be measured in money."

• Click Here <https://vimeo.com/284809681> to Watch the Sportsmen for Wild Olympics Short Film “Salmon Streams for Our Future”

• Click Here to Read The Sportsmen For Wild Olympics Threats Report “Olympic Peninsula Rivers at Risk”

• Click Here To See profiles of all the members of Sportsmen For Wild Olympics “About Us”   

• Click Here <www.SportsmenForWildOlympics/petition> to Sign the Sportsmen For Wild Olympics Petition

For General information, visit www.SportsmenForWildolympics.org.

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KBKW NEWS GRAYS HARBOR - June 4th, 2015

KBKW NEWS GRAYS HARBOR

For Immediate Release:                                                                  January 31st, 2014



Sportsmen for Wild Olympics Announce New Endorsements & Video

Hundreds of Local Sportsmen Endorse Wild Olympics, Video Highlights Threats, Rivers & Local Support



(Sportsmen for Wild Olympics Video "Salmon Streams for Our Future" )



January 31st, 2014 - Today the group of Olympic Peninsula hunters, anglers, and guides of Sportsmen for Wild Olympics delivered signatures from more than 300 local sportsmen and women on a petition to Senator Murray and Representative Kilmer in support of their new legislation to permanently protect headwaters and salmon streams on Olympic National Forest and enhance access. The signers urge the lawmakers to keep the ancient forests and free-flowing rivers wild, because "Peninsula salmon, trout, and steelhead rely on cold, clean water from upper reaches of rivers & streams on Olympic National Forest. These headwaters & streams are at risk as private industry and small hydro developers try to roll back temporary safeguards on our public lands."

This new support comes on the heels of new endorsements by over two dozen major hunting and fishing organizations and local guides, including nineteen leading sportsmen groups and Peninsula guides who recently sent a joint letter to Sen. Murray and Rep. Kilmer urging action to safeguard this area. Those signing the letter include Piscatorial Pursuits (Forks), Waters West Guide Service (Montesano), Angler's Obsession (Forks), Little Stone Fly Fisher (Port Townsend), Johnson Guide Service (Sequim), Anadromy Fly Fishing (Forks), Game On! Guide Service (Shelton), Olympic Peninsula Skagit Tactics (Forks), Able Guide Service (Seiku), Gray Wolf Fly Fishing Club (Sequim), Peninsula Sportsman (Port Townsend), Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association, the Wild Steelhead Coalition, the Northwest Guides & Anglers Association, the Washington Wildlife Federation, Izaak Walton League, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Association of Northwest Steelheaders and others.

Both the petition and the letter state that "Only full, Congressionally-designated Wilderness and Wild & Scenic River safeguards will permanently protect backcountry elk habitat and sensitive salmon and steelhead spawning grounds against future development." The group further notes that the final compromise legislation removed all roads from the proposed wilderness boundaries, ensuring Wild Olympics will not close roads or affect any road or trailhead access.

Sportsmen for Wild Olympics also released a new video: "Salmon Streams for Our Future" to spotlight the headwaters, rivers and salmon that would be protected under the Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild & Scenic Rivers Act, and the threats they face without permanent protection. It highlights the long list of support for Wild Olympics from 27 leading hunting & fishing organizations and local guides, and features stunning footage of spawning salmon shot by acclaimed local filmmaker John Gussman. An interview with Sequim fishing guide & Sportsmen for Wild Olympics co-founder Norrie Johnson explains how the legislation is vital to protecting the headwaters, rivers & streams on Olympic National Forest that local anglers depend on for salmon & steelhead fishing. The video closes with a call for hunters & anglers to visit the Sportsmen for Wild Olympics website and sign their online petition in support of the Wild Olympics legislation.

Dave Bailey, Past President of the Grey Wolf Fly Fishing Club in Sequim, WA and a co-founder of Sportsmen for Wild Olympics says the group is releasing the video to show people that the threats to local salmon streams are real and that Wild Olympics is broadly supported in the local sportsmen community.

"People think that because these areas appear as they've always been, that they are safe. That is the furthest thing from the truth," said Bailey. "There is a determined effort in Congress to roll back safeguards on our public lands and open these sensitive spawning grounds to small hydro development, industrial clear-cutting and more road building once more. That's bad for fish, game, and sportsmen" said Bailey.

The Sportsmen are concerned that without immediate action on this issue, extreme logging legislation before Congress and the renewed push for small-hydro project development in Washington State are putting the remote backcountry headwaters and salmon streams on Olympic National Forest at risk. (Click here to read the Sportsmen for Wild Olympics threats report, "Our Rivers & Headwaters at Risk")

Aaron O'Leary, a member of Sportsmen for Wild Olympics and owner and head guide of Angler's Obsession (Forks, WA), put it plainly; "Supporting Wild Olympics will help preserve the salmon and steelhead fishing on the Olympic Peninsula for future generations." (Click here to see profiles of all the members of Sportsmen For Wild Olympics "About Us" )

Many area hunters and anglers have long been supportive of legislation introduced earlier by Sen. Murray and former Rep. Dicks, and participated in the four year public process initiated by local stakeholders and the lawmakers to craft a balanced protection plan for upper watersheds on Olympic Forest.

The Sportsmen for Wild Olympics Leaders have also updated their website to help dispel some of the myths about Wild Olympics & access, highlighting the fact that it will not close one single mile of the 2,250 miles of roads on Olympic National Forest and that Wilderness and Wild & Scenic Rivers protect and enhance hunting & fishing access (Click Here to Read Wild Olympics Protects & Enhances Access Without Closing Roads). "Wild Olympics will not only protect water quality and fish, but enhance public access," said Roy Morris, Jr., a co-founder of Sportsmen for Wild Olympics and Owner/Head Guide for Able Guide Service out of Seiku, on the northwest corner of the Olympic Peninsula. Dave Bailey added that "Wild and Scenic Rivers are managed to protect and enhance the values that make them eligible for designation that include recreational pursuits such as sportfishing."

"We must not lose this critical opportunity to conserve and protect the headwaters and watershed forests that are vital to our wild fish, birds and wildlife," said Olympic Peninsula Fly Fishing Guide Bob Triggs of Port Townsend -- one of the co-founders of Sportsmen for Wild Olympics. "It is far simpler and less expensive to conserve the wilderness habitat that we have, rather than to attempt to restore these places later. The value of some wild places cannot be measured in money."

"Only Congressionally-designated wilderness and Wild & Scenic River safeguards will permanently protect core backcountry elk habitat and critical salmon and steelhead spawning grounds against future development," said Dave Bailey. "The Wild Olympics legislation would give our fish, wildlife and salmon streams the gold standard of protection they deserve."

Sportsmen for Wild Olympics Video "Salmon Streams for Our Future"

KBKW: Fishing Support Rolls In for Wild Olympics

  For Immediate Release

WILD OLYMPICS: Senator Murray, Congressman Dicks Introduce Major Legislation to Protect Olympic Peninsula’s Natural Treasures

Compromise proposal developed after nearly three years of engagement with local citizens and business leaders will protect timber jobs and provide economic growth opportunity

Legislation would create 126,000 acres of new wilderness in Olympic National Forest -- protecting forests, rivers, salmon, and the water supply

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Congressman Norm Dicks (D, WA-06) introduced the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 2012 in the Senate and House of Representatives. This legislation would protect several key forest areas and rivers while preserving local jobs and access to outdoor recreation opportunities.

“The amazing natural treasures in the Olympic Peninsula are among the crown jewels of our state, and the Wild Olympics proposal will build on the strong foundation of conservation that has been laid down over generations,” said Senator Patty Murray. “I was proud to work closely with Representative Dicks and the local community for over two years to arrive at the compromise proposal we are introducing today. Passing the Wild Olympics bill will be a huge victory for the Olympic Peninsula and Washington state, and I am going to fight hard to get that done.”

“This legislation will protect sources of clean drinking water, preserve critical salmon and steelhead habitat, and protect the area economy,” said Congressman Norm Dicks. “The feedback we have received from everyday citizens has played a vital role in the development of this legislation. The result has been a consensus proposal that will help protect these sensitive areas on the Olympic Peninsula and continue our progress to protect and restore Puget Sound and Hood Canal for future generations.”

The Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 2012 was written in close consultation with Olympic Peninsula residents. For nearly three years, Murray and Dicks’ offices held large community meetings and smaller individual meetings across the region to hear from local families, business owners, organizations and Native American Tribes. Changes and compromises were made to the initial proposal based on the public input received, particularly in minimizing the impact on any private landowners.   

Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 2012

• Designates 126,554 acres of new wilderness on Olympic National Forest.
• An additional 5,346 acres of wilderness could be designated by future administrations.
• Designates 19 rivers and 7 tributaries as Wild and Scenic Rivers.
• Preserves and enhances existing recreational access on the Olympic National Forest for future generations.
• Protects drinking water and safeguards fisheries through conservation of critical watersheds.
• Adds national recognition to the Peninsula’s outstanding scenery and enhances an already strong tourism industry.
• Common sense approach to conservation and job protection.

###

CLICK HERE FOR TEXT OF MURRAY'S AND DICKS' LEGISLATION

126K acres of Olympic Peninsula would be protected by new bill

The Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic River Act of 2012 was introduced Thursday by U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Bremerton.

By Lynda V. Mapes

Seattle Times staff reporter

In a gesture as grand as the landscapes it would protect, key leaders of Washington's congressional delegation have introduced legislation intended to protect Olympic Peninsula forests and rivers from logging, dams and other development.

Three years in the negotiating, The Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic River Act of 2012 was introduced Thursday by U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Bremerton. The bill is a far cry from the original version proposed in 2010 by conservationists, but still takes big steps to permanently protect some of the Olympics' most beloved landscapes.

"The amazing natural treasures in the Olympic Peninsula are among the crown jewels of our state, and the Wild Olympics proposal will build on the strong foundation of conservation that has been laid down over generations," Murray said in a news release.

The legislation would create 126,554 acres of new wilderness on Olympic National Forest lands, including 93,959 acres of old-growth trees at least 160 years old, and 107,982 acres of mature trees older than 80 years. Some trees that would be protected are more than 700 years old.

The proposal also would create 19 new Wild and Scenic Rivers in the Olympic National Park, Washington Department of Natural Resources Lands, and within Olympic National Park.

Wild & Scenic designation prohibits federally licensed dams. It also creates a planning process to manage the land within a quarter-mile corridor in contiguous stretches of federal and state lands along the river to protect a river's wild, scenic or recreational values.

Private lands would not be affected unless owners are supportive. The legislation includes no condemnation authority.

The bill is intended to maintain and improve recreational access through the public planning process called for under the Wild & Scenic Rivers designation.

Rivers slated for protection include the Elwha within Olympic National Park, the Lyre, Dungeness (including Gray Wolf River tributary), Big Quilcene, Dosewallips, Duckabush and Hamma Hamma, as well as portions of the South Fork Skokomish, Quinault, Queets, Hoh and Sol Duc.

The primary effect of the legislation is to prevent future administrations from opening up ancient forests and wild rivers to new logging, road building, mining, drilling or dams.

The proposal steps back from the big plans from its earlier versions, because of objections raised by timber companies concerned about loss of timberlands, and tribes that feared loss of access for treaty-protected hunting.

The North Olympic Timber Action Committee has said the designation would result in the loss of 113 to 226 timber jobs, and the Central Committee of the Clallam County Republican Party last year passed a resolution against the proposal.

The new bill dropped the entire 37,000 acres of proposed additions to the national park and removed 11,300 acres of harvestable timber lands, including second growth plantations from the proposed wilderness. The bill also added 7,400 acres of old growth and mature trees to the proposed wilderness.

Lynda V. Mapes: 206-464-2736 or lmapes@seattletimes.com. On Twitter @lyndavmapes.

Originally published June 21, 2012 at 11:29 AM | Page modified June 21, 2012 at 12:03 PM

Protection plan for “Wild Olympics”: Dicks, Murray

Posted by Joel Connelly on June 21, 2012 at 2:19 pm



The Daily World

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Congressman Norm Dicks says he's supporting an effort to expand protections around Olympic National Park to ensure the park and its surrounding forestland can permanently be protected for future generations.

"This is not something that is going to have dire economic consequences on the Peninsula," Dicks said in an interview with The Daily World. "In fact, I think by strengthening the wilderness characterization, we're going to have more hunting, more fishing, more people coming to the Olympic Peninsula."

Conservation and recreation groups under the banner of the Wild Olympics Campaign have been meeting around the Olympic Peninsula for the past two years with select stakeholder groups, as well as participating in a number of public meetings over the summer.

Following those meetings, Dicks and U.S. Sen. Patty Murray formally signaled their support of the plan and have had staff at a series of public workshops around the Peninsula, including one set for today at 3 p.m. in Hoquiam at the Central Elementary School Library, 310 Simpson Ave.

"I think this is something to consider and we're going to listen during these hearings," Dicks said. "My staff reports back to me and does long memos on these things and there are a lot of groups supporting us on this and there's going to be an open discussion. And at the end of that discussion we'll decide what to do, and if there are more compromises that need to be reached."

The plan declares 130,000 acres of Olympic National Forest surrounding Olympic National Park as "wilderness," which prevents any kind of logging, as well as mechanized access; 23 rivers in and around the park would be declared "wild and scenic," barring mechanized access, as well. Another 20,000 acres could be added to the park through a willing seller process.

In March, bipartisan opposition to the campaign -- mainly those who support the timber industry, as well as hunters and fishermen -- formed a coalition known as the Working Wild Olympics group to combat the proposal.

It's been a full-on political press from both sides ever since.

There have been paid advertisements from both sides. There's a "pro" ad with a picture of a hunter carrying his gun in front of a lake talking about why protecting the timberland around Lake Quinault is a good thing. There's a "con" ad from about a dozen women who live around Lake Quinault talking about how they're worried the Park Service will overstep its bounds.

Campaign signs from both sides dot the streets between Hoquiam and Aberdeen. Giant signs screaming "stop the land grab" can be seen along multiple highways.

"The political rhetoric of the opponents, who are just wildly opposed to this, I'm not even sure if they know why they're opposed to it," Dicks said. "We haven't written a bill yet. They're just opposed to anybody doing anything and a lot of the rhetoric is just over-the-top and isn't even close to the truth."

"It's not a land grab," Dicks said. "Anyone who owns the land doesn't have to sell it. We're not taking away anybody's land. All we're doing is taking some Forest Service land and re-designating it and making sure it's open to public use."

Dicks said most of the active timberland in the original Wild Olympics proposal has already been removed.

"We've worked with both the Forest Service and the proponents to make sure we're not impacting any active timber sales and have made changes when necessary," Dicks said. "We've also made changes to bring in more old growth and fewer younger stands. This fits with the message that we do not want to have an impact on active timber harvests. We've also taken out roads that were not slated for decommission that are currently used by the public. ...

"It's important for the Forest Service to have a multiple-use strategy," he said. "It isn't just for timber harvesting. Now, I realize timber harvesting has gone down and I'm a big advocate for thinning. We're trying to help diversify. It's mostly recreational but there's a lot of environmental equity here with wild and scenic rivers to give it better protection. We're trying to have a balanced approach. That's what we're trying to do."

Asked why the Forest Service land needs more protections and what is endangering the current use of the land, Dicks replied, "A lot of this has been mischaracterized by our opponents and I think it's important for everyone to accurately portray what is happening and what isn't. ...

"We're trying to protect the most sensitive areas, which have higher ecological values," Dicks said. "Some of these areas should be better protected."

Critics of the proposal say that the Forest Service and National Parks can't even afford to maintain the land the agencies have now, so why should changes be made?

"If there's not the money to do it, then it won't be done," Dicks said.

For instance, on the willing seller and willing buyer proposal, Dicks said, "It takes a willing seller and a willing and capable buyer. So the National Park may not be able to afford to buy it. It takes two to tango. You've got to have the money to do it."

But Dicks said it doesn't hurt things to make the option available if the money ever does turn up to allow the park to expand.





MATT SCHUBERT’S OUTDOORS COLUMN: Anglers and hunters support Wild Olympics campaign

By Matt Schubert
 
ONE OF THE assumptions often made about the Wild Olympics Campaign is that it’s anti-hunting and fishing.

A group of Olympic Peninsula sportsmen from Aberdeen to Quilcene say that’s not the case.

In fact, the collection of hunters, anglers and guides formed “Sportsmen for Wild Olympics” in support of the campaign.

According to one of those sportsmen, Jason Bauscher of Lake Quinault, setting aside land for national preserves and Wild and Scenic River designations will enhance the Peninsula outdoors scene.

A website constructed by the group explains their position to area hunters and fishers at sportsmenforwildolympics.org.

“We put that website together to show the advantage for hunters and fishermen in part because some of the folks around here don’t know about these benefits,” Bauscher said.

“They think it’s possibly going to be administered by the National Park Service and that it would be administered just like everything else inside the park [where there is no hunting allowed and fishing opportunity is limited.]”

But that’s not the case, Bauscher said.

Rather, he said, preserved lands would function in much the same way as the Buckhorn Wilderness — two parcels of land bordering the eastern edge of Olympic National Park.

Buckhorn is one of the few places around the Peninsula where hunters can actually participate in the annual high buck hunt offered by the state.

Such land and scenic river designations would help protect and improve access to hunting and fishing opportunities on the Peninsula, Bauscher said.

“The other folks in our group make their living by fishing,” said Bauscher, a hunter, angler and former timber industry employee.

“They support it because, first of all, they care about being able to fish it, and, second of all, they care about their livelihood that depends upon habitat conservation and access.”

Among those showing support for the campaign are Peninsula fishing guides Norrie Johnson, Doug Rose, Bob Triggs and Roy Morris.

Former Greywolf Flyfishing Club President Dave Bailey has also shown his support, as well as organizations and businesses like Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Waters West Fly Fishing Outfitters and Washington Council of Trout Unlimited.

“As an outdoor writer, fly fishing guide, and avid duck and grouse hunter, I welcome the additional protections that the Campaign for a Wild Olympics is proposing,” Rose said in a news release.

“They will help safeguard the water quality that anadromous fish require, and preserve the upper basin spawning grounds of species like cutthroat, summer steelhead and bull trout.

“I will still be able to hunt in all of the areas proposed by the campaign, and I will be able to bring my black Labrador retriever, Ruby.”

Earlier this week, U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks and Sen. Patty Murray put forth an alternative to Wild Olympics called Path Forward on Olympic Watersheds Protection Proposal.

The amount of private land purchased by Olympic National Park under that proposal has been reduced from the Wild Olympics plan, from 37,000 acres to 20,000.

The amount of U.S. Forest Service acreage designated under the new proposal would also be less than that of the Wild Olympics plan — 130,000 instead of 134,000.

Still, Bauscher and others from the campaign have expressed support for the proposal.

“I was excited to see that the national preserve option was the one they went with rather than the national park option,” he said.

“It doesn’t give as much land as the Wild Olympics campaign had been initially proposing, but I trust Congressman Dicks and Senator Murray.

“I have to believe that Congressman Dicks and Senator Murray had good reasons to do that.”

Two public workshops on the proposal will be held on the Peninsula.

The first meeting is set for 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 1, in Port Townsend at the chapel building at Fort Worden State Park Conference Center, 200 Battery Way.

The second meeting will be from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3, at the Museum at Carnegie, 207 S. Lincoln St., in Port Angeles.

U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., are out with a draft plan that would designate 130,000 acres of additional wilderness in federal forest lands on the Olympic Peninsula.

The proposal would also put 23 rivers – including such well-known streams as the Elwha, Sol Duc, Hoh and Bogachiel rivers – into the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

The proposal is described by Dicks as a “consensus plan” designed not to disturb private landownership. His congressional district includes the Peninsula.

“We will continue to gather public input as the process moves forward, taking into consideration economic development on the Peninsula as well as the protection of Tribal treaty rights,” Dicks added.

The Olympic Peninsula has seen major environmental battles in years past, including resistance to creation of Olympic National Park and for years efforts to take rainforests out of the park. But  the new plan has garnered surprisingly broad support.

Bill Taylor, president of Taylor Shellfish in Shelton, noted:

“The two largest shellfish hatcheries that supply seed to the West Coast industry are located on Hood Canal. Well over 150 jobs are provided in Hood Canal alone by the industry. … By protecting Olympic Peninsula forest and river watersheds, we ensure clean and safe water so that shellfish companies can continue to grow and further benefit the economy and ecology of Washington state.”

Jason Bausher of Aberdeen, a former Olympic National Park ranger who has done guiding in the Olympics, applauded inclusion of such places as a wooded ridge above Lake Quinault visible along U.S. 101.

“This could be a huge benefit for fishermen and hunters who are seeing more locked gates and more new developments on private timberlands where we used to hunt and fish,” Bausher said.

The Olympic National Park is closed to hunting, but the surrounding Olympic National Forest is an area prized by deer, elk and bird hunters.

Dicks and Murray are proposing a new designation. They would authorize Olympic National Park to purchase up to 20,000 acres from willing private landowners. The lands would become a national preserve.

“They are administered by the Park Service and are managed in similar ways as a national park, but they would allow Tribal and non-Tribal hunting to continue while providing for old growth forest recovery and protecting critical salmon and wildlife habitats,” said Tim McNulty, Sequim-based author of “Olympic National Park: A Natural History.”

Dicks and Murray are sponsoring a series of public workshops. The first will be Thursday, Dec. 1, at Fort Warden State Park in Port Townsend; on Friday, Dec. 2, a second meeting will be held at the Shelton Civic Center. Both will run from 5 to 7 p.m.

On Saturday, Dec. 3, the lawmakers will hear from the public at Port Angeles’ Museum at the Carnegie from 3 to 5 p.m., and on Sunday, Dec. 4, a meeting will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Central Elementary School in Hoquiam.



OLYMPIC WILDERNESS: Dicks, Murray Announce Community Workshops, Path Forward on Olympic Watersheds Protection Proposal

Washington, D.C—U.S. Representative Norm Dicks and U.S. Senator Patty Murray today released a draft proposal for Wilderness additions on the Olympic Peninsula in order to continue receiving input from the public and local communities on this critical issue. They also announced that they will be asking their local offices to hold a series of four public workshops next month to allow citizens and communities to provide additional feedback on the proposal. 

“I am pleased to work with Senator Murray in developing a consensus plan to provide additional wilderness protection on the Olympic Peninsula,” said Rep. Dicks. “Future generations will benefit from the increased protection of the watersheds and forests that make the Peninsula such a magnificent place.  We will be continuing to gather public input as the process moves forward, taking into consideration economic development on the Peninsula as well as the protection of Tribal treaty rights.”

“Washington residents take great pride in protecting our state’s tremendous natural beauty,” said Sen. Murray. “I will continue to work with the community as we work to preserve our state’s special places while promoting our long-term economic growth and prosperity. I thank Representative Dicks for his leadership in this process, and I look forward to hearing from constituents in the coming months as we put together a proposal that works for our families, communities and state.”

A wilderness and National Park expansion proposal was brought to the Congressional offices two years ago by several Peninsula based conservation groups.  Rep. Dicks and Sen. Murray’s staff did extensive outreach on this proposal and have a revised proposal that they would like to seek additional input on from the public.

The Olympic Wilderness proposal would provide additional protection for some of the most critical landscapes on the Olympic Peninsula.  It would designate new wilderness areas on existing U.S. Forest Service land, add pristine rivers to the Wild and Scenic River System, and provide an opportunity for targeted Olympic National Park preserve additions through a willing-buyer, willing-seller process. The plan was developed with input from constituents and stakeholders in order to preserve these sensitive areas while maintaining working forests on the Peninsula.

The Olympic Wilderness proposal was crafted after more than a year was spent gathering input from local stakeholders and submitted to the offices of Representative Dicks and Senator Murray and would:

• Designate roughly 130,000 acres of new wilderness on Forest Service Land.
• Add 23 rivers within public land ownership to the Wild and Scenic River System.
• Provide the opportunity for Olympic National Park (ONP) to purchase up to 20,000 acres through a willing buyer, willing seller process for addition as a preserve to the Park.  Currently, ONP cannot purchase land within their General Management Plan without Congressional Action.
• Protect hunting, fishing and recreational access.

Public Workshop Schedule

-Thursday, December 1, 2011. 5:00pm-7:00pm at the Chapel Building at Fort Worden State Park Conference Center.  200 Battery Way, Port Townsend, WA 98368

-Friday, December 2, 2011.  5:00pm-7:00pm at the Shelton Civic Center.   525 W Cota Street, Shelton, WA

-Saturday, December 3, 2011.  3:00pm-5:00pm at the Museum at the Carnegie.  207 S. Lincoln St., Port Angeles, WA

-Sunday, December 4, 2011.  3:00pm-5:00pm at the Central Elementary School Library.  310 Simpson Ave.  Hoquiam, WA



CHECK THE SOL DUC RIVER LEVEL WITH THIS ONLINE GAUGE.

Click HERE for current stream flow level on the Sol Duc River.

CHECK THE HOH RIVER LEVEL WITH THIS ONLINE GAUGE.

Click HERE for current stream flow level on the Hoh River.

CHECK THE BOGACHIEL RIVER LEVEL WITH THIS ONLINE GAUGE.

Click HERE for a current stream flow level on the Bogachiel River.

CHECK THE CALAWAH RIVER LEVEL WITH THIS ONLINE GUAGE.

Click HERE for current stream flow level on the Calawah River.

CHECK THE QUEETS RIVER LEVEL WITH THIS ONLINE GAUGE.

Click HERE for current stream flow level on the Queets River.