***PHOTOS AND B-ROLL OF THE EVENT HERE***
Quilcene, WA – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined U.S. Forest Service staff, advocates, and local officials to visit the Lower Big Quilcene Trail and discuss her Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, which would set aside the first new wilderness on Olympic National Forest in nearly three decades and the first-ever protected wild and scenic rivers on the Olympic Peninsula. The legislation would permanently protect more than 126,500 acres of Olympic National Forest as wilderness, along with 19 rivers and their major tributaries, a total of 464 river miles, as Wild and Scenic Rivers. The trail Senator Murray visited today includes a section of the Big Quilcene River that will be designated Wild and Scenic.
Senator Murray reintroduced the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act with Representative Derek Kilmer (D, WA-06) in April; Murray has been working on the legislation for years and first introduced the bill in 2012 with then-Congressman Norm Dicks. The legislation—which was designed through extensive community input to protect ancient forests, clean water, and salmon streams and enhance outdoor recreation—has made steady progress each successive Congress since its original introduction; last Congress, the legislation passed the U.S. House with bipartisan support and advanced farther than ever in the U.S. Senate.
“Today’s visit to the Lower Big Quilcene Trail was yet another reminder of how spectacular our state is—and why we should all be fighting to protect these breathtaking landscapes for generations to come,” said Senator Murray. “I’m working hard alongside many of the advocates here today to pass our Wild Olympics legislation, which would permanently protect the pristine forests and rivers on the Olympic Peninsula, including hundreds of miles of critical salmon habitat. This bill has brought together a diverse coalition of people from all walks of life, united in the fight to protect our Wild Olympics—and you can bet I’m going to keep pushing hard in the Other Washington to finally get this across the finish line.”
The Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was carefully crafted through extensive community input to ensure the proposal will have no impact on existing timber jobs. It would permanently protect critical salmon habitat and sources of clean drinking water for local communities, while also protecting and expanding world-class outdoor recreation opportunities like hiking, camping, boating, hunting, and fishing without closing any roads.
The reintroduction of the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in April came after a recent wave of support and new local endorsements, bringing the total number of local Olympic Peninsula & Hood Canal region endorsements to more than 800, including the Quinault, Quileute, Elwha and Jamestown S’Klallam Tribes; over 30 local sportsmen organizations and fishing guides; the mayors of Port Angeles, Port Townsend, Ocean Shores and other local elected officials; businesses and CEOs; farms and faith leaders; conservation and outdoor recreation groups; and many others. More than 12,000 local residents have also signed petitions in support.
###
English 
Spanish