Hells Canyon National Recreation Area at 50
On Tuesday, April 16th, The Andrus Center for Public Policy at Boise State University and the James A. and Louise McClure Center for Public Policy Research at the University of Idaho will convene a conference to commemorate and reflect upon the 50th anniversary of the legislation that created the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area (NRA).
President Gerald Ford signed the Act to establish Hells Canyon NRA on Dec. 31, 1975. Over the last fifty years, the NRA has provided a model for managing a range of beneficial uses and demonstrated collaborative approaches to resolving disputes. The law preserved 277,940 acres of land as Wilderness and the bill reflected the desire to keep the federal lands in multiple use.
Both Idaho Governor Cecil D. Andrus (D) and U.S. Senator James A. McClure (R-Idaho) supported the idea of an NRA, and worked to get the legislation passed. U.S. Senator Bob Packwood (R-Oregon) was the primary sponsor and first to recommend the legislation. Other supporters included U.S. Representative Orval Hansen (R-Idaho); U.S. Senators Frank Church (D-Idaho), Mark Hatfield (R-Oregon), and Bob Packwood (R-Oregon); and Governors Cecil Andrus (D-Idaho) and Len Jordan (R-Idaho), Tom McCall (R-Oregon) and Robert Straub (D-Oregon), and Dan Evans (R-Washington).
The April 16th conference will explore the creation, management, and future of the Hells Canyon NRA and lessons learned about collaboration, compromise, and multiple use on public lands. Conference speakers will represent Federal and Tribal voices, local communities, and business leaders.
Details regarding the schedule and registration will be coming soon.
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