Stewards Try to Tame Wilderness Users

Mountain-climbing enthusiast Bob Hyslop was never a fan of the U.S. Forest Service, but he says he’s become a convert since volunteering to be a wilderness steward.

The program, which involves four outdoors groups, is part of the Forest Services’ new protection plan for the Mount Hood, Salmon-Huckleberry and Mark O. Hatfield wilderness areas in Oregon.

“It’s frustrating to go to a place like Paradise Park and see people who are rookies at camping and carried in too much stuff and left behind cans or trash,” said Hyslop, a firm believer in the “Leave no trace” camping ethic.

He and other stewards will patrol wilderness areas to remind hikers, climbers and campers to carry out their trash and be kind to the environment.

The program, signed into effect this month, is the Forest Service’s response to public outcry against the agency’s original plan to limit access to the three wilderness areas.

Under the new plan, students from Mount Hood Community College will help the Forest Service staff watch for erosion, trampling of plants and other symptoms of overuse.

The Mazamas, Oregon Equestrian Trails and the Crag Rats, all of which had opposed visitor limits, have agreed to provide volunteer “stewards” who will patrol the wilderness and remind visitors to hike and camp responsibly--carry out their trash, camp in designated areas and stick to marked trails.

The debate over use limits in the wilderness areas made clear that the forest no longer can provide boundless recreational playgrounds and solitude at the same time. Officials say the plan strikes a balance, recognizing that some popular wilderness sites will endure heavy use but that others off the beaten path should remain peaceful and quiet.

The new plan also acknowledges that public land managers cannot ensure a solitary experience for everyone, even in wilderness areas that Congress set aside to be maintained “untrammeled by man.”

That is a disappointing note for some wilderness watchdogs.

“We think it flies in the face of the Wilderness Act,” said George Nickas of Wilderness Watch in Missoula, Mont.

Glen Sachet, a Mount Hood National Forest spokesman, said he understood that “wilderness purists” were skeptical of the Forest Service’s new approach to wilderness management. Under the new plan, the agency’s objectives are to protect the primitive areas but allow use to occur in the historic high-use areas while emphasizing public education on wilderness and resource protection, Sachet said.

That’s where volunteers like Hyslop come in.