Hiking with Senator Murray: A Celebration of Past Success and a Vision for the Future

Over the past month Washington Wild’s Executive Director, Tom Uniack, joined Senator Patty Murray on two hikes alongside fellow conservation organizations, US Forest Service staff, and local conservation advocates. While both hikes offered the breathtaking landscapes and restorative calm so many of us escape to these places to enjoy, in a way each of these places exists on different ends of a spectrum.

The Barclay Lake trail outside Index is located within the Wild Sky Wilderness, designated in 2008. The Gray Wolf Trail near Sequim meanders through Olympic National Forest, but does not yet benefit from Wilderness designation. Nor does its namesake river, the Gray Wolf River, have enduring Wild & Scenic River protection. Senator Murray and the Wild Olympics Campaign, of which Washington Wild is a founding member, are hoping to change that.  

Lessons from Wild Sky 

Boasting rugged peaks, crystal-clear lakes, lush meadows, and old-growth forests, the 106,000-acre Wild Sky Wilderness is the result of nearly a decade of work that began in 2000 when Washington Wild formed a coalition to protect this special place. With the aid of Congressional champions Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02), the coalition carefully crafted the proposed Wilderness boundaries in consultation with stakeholders and built local support.  

Kem Hunter, the Mayor of Index, was key to unlocking that local buy-in. “When I was approached by Washington Wild to support the Wild Sky Wilderness proposal, I knew it would be a big ask,” recalled Hunter. “But I also knew that protecting the surrounding forest and rivers was the right thing to do for the Town of Index and those of us that call this place home.”   

After several drafts and many boisterous town hall meetings, Murray and Larsen first introduced the Wild Sky Wilderness bill in 2002. It then passed the Senate four times and the House twice before finally making it to the President’s desk. Marking the first new Wilderness designation in Washington State in more than 20 years, President Bush signed the Wild Sky Wilderness Act, as part of the Consolidated Natural Resources Act, into law in 2008.  

During her hike to Barclay Lake, Senator Murray reminisced on the process of seeing Wild Sky become a reality. “Creating the Wild Sky Wilderness took years of hard work and collaboration, but today’s hike was a reminder that those efforts were more than worth it,” said Senator Murray. “Wild Sky is just one example of Washington state’s breathtaking natural beauty that is home to so many critical habitats and species. I’m proud to see the difference my bill has made, and I will continue to prioritize protecting public lands as I work to negotiate our spending bills.” 

Looking Ahead to the Future of Wild Olympics 

Once again, local communities, advocates, and Senator Murray have been steadily working towards creating another new Wilderness in Washington State. If passed, Wild Olympics would permanently protect more than 126,000 acres of Olympic National Forest as Wilderness, along with 19 rivers and their major tributaries, more than 460 river miles, as Wild and Scenic Rivers.  

First introduced by Senator Murray and Congressman Norm Dicks (D-WA-06) in 2012, Senator Murray reintroduced the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act with Representative Derek Kilmer (D, WA-06) last April. Recently passing the key Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee for the first time in the bill’s history, we are closer than ever before to passing Wild Olympics into law. And the timing feels fortuitous as 2024 is the 60th anniversary of both the Wilderness Act (1964) and the 40th anniversary of the Washington State Wilderness Act (1984).    

Just as with Wild Sky, community input and support have truly been at the heart of Wild Olympics. “Senator Murray and Representative Kilmer designed their bill with extensive input from local sportsmen to ensure it will protect fishing, boating, and hunting access without closing any roads, but it would also permanently protect some of the last healthy upstream salmon and steelhead habitat left on the peninsula,” explains Ashley Nichole Lewis, aka Bad Ash Outdoors.   

The Wild Olympics legislation is endorsed by more than 800 individuals and organizations, including the Quinault, Quileute, Elwha, and Jamestown S’Klallam Tribes; over 30 local sportsmen organizations and fishing guides; the mayors of Port Angeles, Port Townsend, and other local elected officials; businesses and CEOs; farms and faith leaders; conservation and outdoor recreation groups; and more than 12,000 local residents have also signed petitions in support. 

“Visitors and residents alike can all agree that the Olympic Peninsula boasts some of our country’s most breathtaking landscapes and precious ecosystems—and I saw it once again for myself at today’s hike from the Gray Wolf River Trailhead,” said Senator Murray. “It’s so important that we pass my Wild Olympics bill to protect this land and natural resources for generations to come.” 

Read More 

Press Release | July 17, 2024—Senator Murray Visits Gray Wolf River, Discusses Her Wild Olympics Bill with Local Leaders  

Press Release | August 7, 2024—Senator Murray Visits Wild Sky Wilderness, Discusses Conservation Efforts with Local Leaders