Cascade Chapter Celebrates With Wilderness Champion

 

When the Wild Sky Wilderness Act was signed into law in May of this year, it capped off a 20-year campaign by the Sierra Club's Cascade Chapter. And no elected official was more instrumental in Wild Sky's passage than Senator Patty Murray, pictured above at center with Sierra Club activists in Seattle earlier this month. Volunteers and staff celebrated passage of Wild Sky by honoring Murray at chapter headquarters on December 1.

Murray introduced the bill in the U.S. Senate in May 2002, not long after the Club and its allies presented her with their wilderness proposal. Representative Rick Larson, whose district includes Wild Sky, introduced the bill in the House of Representatives the same day, and Senator Maria Cantwell's strong support was critical in shepherding the bill through the Senate. Wild Sky passed the Senate three times before the final round af action after the 2006 elections.

Wild Sky's 106,000 acres, which include low-elevation forests and river systems as well as soaring peaks and pristine high-country lakes, is the first new designated wilderness in Washington State since 1984. Read more about the Sierra Club's work to protect America's wild legacy and build resilient habitats.

Photo by Judith Ryan.