Protect Crater Lake

Clearcut proposals threaten the ecosystem

Crater Lake is Oregon’s crown jewel — its deep blue waters and 2,000-foot rim walls attract half a million visitors each year. The surrounding mountains and forests are home to Roosevelt elk, black bears, bald eagles and spawning salmon. 

Logging companies are pushing to clearcut thousands of acres of forest around the park that is important wildlife habitat. These woods shelter the headwaters of the Rogue and Umpqua Rivers, critical for maintaining healthy runs of Steelhead, Coho and Chinook salmon. 

Right now, three separate proposals for clear-cutting threaten to level the forests surrounding the lake, disturbing its ecosystem and potentially harming thousands of animals. 

An opportunity to protect Crater Lake

Fortunately, we can act today to prevent a piece-by-piece clearcut of the Crater Lake ecosystem. The laws to solve this problem are already in place — we just need to make sure they’re applied to Crater Lake’s surrounding forests. 

The federal Wilderness Act of 1964 protects the most critical habitats of America, like Crater Lake, from incursion by loggers, miners and developers. We need to make sure Congress protects the 75-mile wildlife corridor of forests, mountains and streams around Crater Lake by designating it as Wilderness.

As the authors of the Wilderness Act wrote back in 1964, these special places should be areas “where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.”

So many of us have marveled at the beauty of Crater Lake. Now it’s up to us to defend the lake and the creatures who live nearby.  

Our senators can lead on this issue

Congress can preserve the natural wonder of Crater Lake by creating a 75-mile wildlife corridor around the lake, designating 500,000 acres as new wilderness. We’re calling on Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden to lead on this issue — as our senators, they have the most at stake. 

In addition to protecting bald eagles, elk, black bear and salmon, designating the land as new wilderness would allow the park’s existing visitor facilities, like the Rim Road, the Crater Lake Lodge, and the Pacific Crest Trail, to remain undisturbed, ensuring easy and sustainable public access.

Our citizen outreach staff has been canvassing the state, educating Oregonians about the need to protect Crater Lake. Thousands of you have pitched in, calling or emailing your legislators, signing petitions, and spreading the word to your friends and family.

We need everyone’s help to protect Crater Lake from logging, mining, and other destructive development. Join our campaign by sending Sens. Merkley and Wyden a message today.