Road in wilderness? It's up to Congress

The fate of upper Stehekin Valley Road now rests with Congress.

Sections of the 10-mile stretch of road that meanders next to the Stehekin River were destroyed in a 2003 flood, eliminating any possibility of vehicle access into the upper portions of Stephen Mather Wilderness and North Cascades National Park.

U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Pasco, in June introduced a bill, HB 2806, that would allow the National Park Service to relocate a 2.5-mile section of the road. This section would cross into the wilderness area, and it requires an act of Congress to move the wilderness boundary, a move the National Park Service doesn't want to see.

Hastings and state Sen. Linda Evans Parlette, R-Wenatchee, testified July 30 in support of the bill to the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands of the Committee on Natural Resources. Chelan County Commissioner Doug England submitted written testimony, also in support of moving the boundary so the road could be rebuilt and opened up.

England wrote that since the National Park Service in the North Cascades National Park has "abandoned" the impassable road, Stehekin businesses have seen "a dramatic drop in visitors" and "firefighting crews have also lost access to fight the catastrophic wildfire they fear will be given birth within the park."

Parlette told the subcommittee, "Without vehicular access, it now takes three to four days to access trailheads in the Upper Stehekin Valley. This, of course, excludes access by those who are not physically capable of such long treks or do not have that much time."

Hastings said that the road is "the gateway to the national park for visitors from around the world" and that not having the road is causing a serious economic effect on an already struggling Stehekin community.

The National Park Service in the North Cascades park took the position that the road should be permanently closed above Car Wash Falls.

Chip Jenkins, NPS superintendent of North Cascades National Park, said that just about every decade since the road was built in 1970, the river has destroyed sections of it and the National Park Service has spent $1.4 million to $1.5 million each time to repair the road.

Jenkins also said the mission of the park service is to protect wilderness for future generations. "Preventing development in the wilderness is another reason we spoke against this," he said. "We don't want to set a precedent."

But one of Parlette's arguments to the subcommittee was that the park service took a different position at Olympic National Park regarding Hoh Road, where sections often get washed out or destroyed by the Hoh River.

In that park's general-management plan published last year, park-service Regional Director Jon Jarvis said road access will be maintained, and it was suggested that "wilderness boundaries may be adjusted along roads to allow continued road access into the park; however, there will be no net loss of wilderness acreage."

Barb Maynes, Olympic National Park's public-affairs officer, said right now the road is fine but that if there was ever catastrophic damage to the road, language about moving the wilderness boundary for a road is in the plan.

"It doesn't mean we would choose that option," she said, "But the language is there."

Maynes said the Hoh rain forest is world-famous and receives 150,000 visitors a year. "It's very important to us that access to the area be retained," she said.

North Cascades National Park Superintendent Jenkins said if Congress agrees to a boundary move, "We will of course abide by its decision. But if Congress doesn't provide money for the road, nothing will happen."

The bill will go before the full Natural Resources Committee in September.