Protect Crater Lake Headlines

A coalition of conservationist groups has launched a campaign centered on Crater Lake, hoping to expand the federally protected land in and around Oregon’s only national park. The proposal, which also would bar helicopter tours over the lake, calls for Congress to designate an additional 500,000 acres as wilderness, the highest level of protection available on federal lands. The goal is to link smaller wilderness areas that already dot the landscape and create a “wildlife corridor” along the crest of the southern Cascades, said Dave Mathews, a preservation associate with Environment Oregon.