Call your congressional representatives now and ask them to support federal funding for land acquisition on Steens!

The threat is real: Harney County will have no choice but to approve the creation of 640 one-acre lots near Fish Lake on Steens Mountain. And while Oregon Natural Desert Association will fight this decision in court, we can’t address every Measure 37 claim in the future.

The recent Measure 37 claim underscores how critical it is for BLM to have money set aside for purchase of remaining private land in order to preserve the wild and open character of Steens Mountain.

This proposed development is within the Steens Mountain Management Area created by Congress in 2000. As stated in the legislation, the guiding purpose of the Steens Act is to manage Steens Mountain: ”to conserve, protect, and manage the long-term ecological integrity of Steens Mountain for future and present generations.”

As part of the Act, Congress authorized $25 million to be used to acquire land within the boundaries of the management area, including the Steens Wilderness. In light of this Measure 37 claim it is more critical than ever that Congress appropriates funds to acquire private lands on Steens to help stop the threat of future development on Steens Mountain. There are literally thousands of acres of private land on Steens just waiting for this project to be approved. Unless we have federal dollars set aside for land acquisition, these other private lands could be sold for development as recreational home sites.

The Steens Mountain-Alvord Desert region has often been referred to as the “crown jewel” of Oregon’s High Desert and was once described by Secretary of Interior Bruce Babbitt as “the most magnificent, unprotected landscape left in the entire West.” That changed with the passage of the 2000 Steens Act. But we need to make sure that the protection of Steens Mountain is lasting. Call your congressional representatives now and ask them to support federal funding for land acquisition on Steens!

Senator Ron Wyden

230 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20510-3703

Tel: 202.224.5244

Fax: 202.228.2717

Email: www.wyden.senate.gov/contact/

Senator Gordon Smith

404 Russell Building

Washington, D.C. 20510-3704

Tel: 202.224.3753

Fax: 202.228.3997

Email: www.gsmith.senate.gov/webform.htm

Representative Greg Walden

1210 Longworth House Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20515

Tel: 202.225.6730

Fax: 202.225.5774

Email: www.walden.house.gov/contactgreg

Find out more about this issue:   Read “Steens for Sale: Looming Land Sales Threaten”