Devil's Staircase waterfall, Wasson Creek (g lief)
PROTECT DEVIL'S STAIRCASE
No place better represents what the Oregon Coast Range once looked like than Devil's Staircase, named for the iconic cascading waterfall on Wasson Creek which tumbles through magnificent old-growth forests, into the lower Smith River then the lower Umpqua River, and ultimately to the Pacific Ocean. Yet it remains unprotected, and was recently threatened with clearcutting by the Bureau of Land Management, the federal agency that oversees part of its management. This remarkable area, which houses centuries-old conifer forests and a host of endangered species, has been proposed for Wilderness since the 1980s, but has never received the protection it deserves. Cascadia Wildlands is working with a potent coalition to designate the 30,000-acre forested area as Oregon's next Wilderness and Wasson Creek as a Wild and Scenic waterway to ensure this area is safeguarded forever. Representative Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) continue to champion the respective bills through Congress.
latest news
November 10, 2011: Devil's Staircase legislation is marked up and passed out of the Senate Subcommitte on Public Lands and Forests.
October 25, 2011: Devil's Staircase receives positive hearing in House Natural Resources subcommittee.
October 5, 2011: Governor Kitzhaber submits his "Crown Jewels" nominations to the Department of Interior. Included in the letter are the proposed Devil's Staircase, Wild Rogue and Cathedral Rock and Horse Heaven Wilderness Areas. The Medford Mail Tribute runs a story on the crown jewels.
May 18, 2011: The Senate Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests holds a successful hearing on Devil's Staircase. Senator Wyden and the Obama admistration offer support for the wilderness designation at the hearing.
April 8, 2011: Sponsored by Rep. Peter DeFazio and Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, the proposed Devil's Staircase Wilderness is reintroduced into both houses of the 112th Congress. Read the Register-Guard's opinion on the reintroduction.
January 2011: While Devil's Staircase makes it onto the public lands omnibus bill in Congress, the Senate fails to pass the bill during the lame duck session.
June 22, 2010: Devil's Staircase bill clears Senate committee.
October 8, 2009: Devil's Staircase receives support in Senate and House hearings.
October 1, 2009: Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands in the House Natural Resources Committee holds hearing on Devil's Staircase Wilderness in Congress.
September 25: Cascadia Wildlands returns from guiding a two-day outing to Devil's Staircase with Oregon Public Broadcasting's Oregon Field Guide. Watch the show online.
June 16, 2009: Rep. Peter DeFazio and Senator Ron Wyden introduce legislation into Congress to protect the 29,650-acre Devil's Staircase Wilderness.
2007: Devil's Staircase coalition members lead Rep. Peter DeFazio and staff to the Devil's Staircase waterfall. DeFazio calls it the "hardest hike of his life."
2007: Bureau of Land Management proposes to open up the eastern portion of Wasson Creek to clearcutting under its new forest plan revision.
background Waterfalls, old-growth rainforest, Pacific giant salamanders, roadless country, solitudeŠ Find them all in the proposed Devil's Staircase Wilderness - a priceless wild area located in the heart of the central Oregon Coast Range, northeast of Reedsport, Oregon. The Devil's Staircase area has one of the greatest concentrations of native rainforest in the Coast Range. It is also simply the wildest, most remote country left in this part of Oregon and is a stark reminder of what the Coast Range was once like. The rugged topography and unstable soils have played a role in keeping the clearcuts and roads away.
Administered by the Bureau of Land Management's Coos Bay District and the Siuslaw National Forest, the Devil's Staircase area has long been proposed for Wilderness but has never received the protection it deserves. Wasson Creek, the main drainage that winds through the area, features the elusive Devil's Staircase waterfall. Other nearby drainages with a wild character are also included in the proposed Wilderness, like Little Mill Creek, Franklin Creek and Perkins Creek. These roadless drainages are home to river otter, spotted owl, marbled murrelet, black bear, cougar, water ouzels, beaver, crayfish, coho and Chinook salmon and a myriad of other critters.
Devil's Staircase lies in the heart of Representative Peter DeFazio's 4th Congressional district. He, along with Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, have sponsored bills in Congress to protect the area and continue to need to hear from you until the area is officially designated as Wilderness.
location
multimedia Watch Oregon Field Guide's adventure into Devil's Staircase with members of our staff!
Devil's Staircase Wilderness Campaign:
Spawning Chinook in Wasson Creek
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