Wilderness expands, one piece at a time

The Kalmiopsis Wilderness of southwest Oregon is a rugged landscape of deep canyons and craggy ridges. The stark wilderness area burned completely in the 2002 Biscuit Fire, but the Kalmiopsis ecosystem bounced back and continues to thrive.

Recently, the Wilderness Land Trust celebrated a significant milestone in the heart of the Kalmiopsis. The accredited land trust acquired and restored the last remaining private inholding: 60 acres along the Little Chetco River. Previously, the land was used for dredge mining and recreational gold mining trips, threatening coho salmon spawning grounds and wildlife migration routes.

After restoration efforts, the property was transferred to public ownership, effectively completing the wilderness area established 54 years prior.

The Wilderness Land Trust also recently transferred the 345-acre Evergreen property to public ownership, adding it to Washington’s Wild Sky Wilderness. The property was the largest remaining private inholding left in the wilderness. The land trust purchased it in 2018 and collaborated with the U.S. Forest Service to complete the transfer efficiently. In total the Trust has protected 21 private inholdings, covering 1,300 acres, in the Wild Sky Wilderness.

“Thanks to this public-private partnership, we are able to celebrate the addition of 345 acres of old-growth forest in the heart of the North Cascades Ecosystem to the wilderness, ensuring it will remain wild and free of development for the benefit of generations to come,” says Brad Borst, the Wilderness Land Trust’s president.