Statement for the Record
Department of the Interior
Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee
Subcommittee on National Parks
S. 403, Molalla River Wild and Scenic Rivers Act
May 11, 2011
Thank you for inviting the Department of the Interior to testify on S. 403, the Molalla River Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) supports S. 403.
Background
The
The
S. 403
S. 403 proposes to designate 15.1 miles of the Molalla River and 6.2 miles of the Table Rock Fork of the Molalla as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.In earlier planning analyses, the BLM evaluated the Molalla River and the Table Rock Fork of the Molalla River and determined that most of these two rivers should be considered for designation as wild and scenic rivers.As a result, the designation called for in S. 403 would be largely consistent with management currently in place, and would cause few changes to BLM's current administration of most of this area.The 5,500-acre Table Rock Wilderness, designated by Congress in 1984, is embraced by the Molalla and Table Rock Fork, and designation of these river segments would reinforce the protections in place for the wilderness area.
Wild and scenic rivers are designated by Congress in one of three categories: wild, scenic, or recreational.Differing management proscriptions apply for each of these designations.S. 1369 specifies that these river segments be classified as recreational.This classification is consistent with the strong recreational values of this area, as well as the presence of roads along the course of the river segments and numerous dispersed campsites along its shorelines.
Conclusion
Thank you for the opportunity to testify in support of these important Oregon designations.The Department of the Interior looks forward to welcoming these units into the BLM's National Landscape Conservation System.