My family and I live at Crooked River Ranch. We chose to build our home here because of the wild public lands out our back door. Our 10 acres directly border the Deschutes Canyon-Steelhead Falls Wilderness Study Area (WSA) along the Deschutes canyon rim.

I have attended several town hall meetings held by Sen. Ron Wyden and have spoken with him personally about my concerns regarding the management of the public lands neighboring my property, such as illegal off-road vehicle use.

Two recent Bulletin editorials have criticized Sen. Wyden for expressing concerns about the piecemeal approach taken by Rep. Greg Walden in his misleadingly titled “Crooked River Ranch Fire Protection Act.”

I am one of the many people living near the WSA whose concerns remain unaddressed by Rep. Walden’s bill.

I agree with Sen. Wyden that we need a comprehensive approach to the many issues affecting me and other neighbors to the Whychus-Deschutes area.

Three years ago, I participated in the Crooked River Ranch Fire Working Group, which was started at the suggestion of Sen. Wyden.

This diverse committee was comprised of Crooked River Ranch residents, the Homeowners Association president, the Crooked River Ranch fire chief, local conservation groups and representatives from the Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service. Staff from Sens. Wyden and Merkley’s office participated in most of these meetings as well. Rep. Walden’s staff did not.

The goal was to create a comprehensive legislative package that would reduce wildfire threats to Crooked River Ranch while also addressing issues negatively impacting neighboring public lands in the Whychus-Deschutes area. One idea that came out of the working group’s discussions was to remove several hundred acres of public land from the WSA to facilitate juniper thinning along the Deschutes Canyon rim.

However, participants in the working group were told by representatives from the BLM that simply adjusting the WSA boundary would not result in better fire protection for Crooked River Ranch. Consequently the group worked to come up with a more comprehensive fix. After nearly a year of meetings, a concept emerged that would be a true win-win.

This comprehensive approach would provide better fire protection for Crooked River Ranch, permanently protect treasured places like Alder Springs and address issues such as illegal off-road vehicle use, trespass on private lands, recreation overuse and vandalism of irreplaceable cultural sites.

In early 2016, Rep. Walden announced his simplistic solution to the complex challenges we face: adjust the WSA boundary. Rep. Walden soon introduced his one-sided solution, short-circuiting local collaborative efforts.

In Rep. Walden’s original bill, there was NO direction to federal agencies to reduce fuels on the lands removed from the WSA, NO funds directed for that purpose, NO management plan for resource protection and NO plans for responsible and safe recreation on public lands. Before Rep. Walden’s bill passed out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Sen. Wyden was able to make a few changes to the bill.

These changes give some basic direction to the BLM to reduce wildfire risk along the Deschutes Canyon rim and prevent uncontrolled motorized vehicle use on public lands, which is itself a fire risk. Rep. Walden’s bill remains a partial solution, but the changes Sen. Wyden was able to negotiate make a big difference to my family and our neighbors at Crooked River Ranch.

While I appreciate the work that Sen. Wyden put into improving Rep. Walden’s bill, I do agree with The Bulletin on one thing: We need Sen. Wyden to do more for Crooked River Ranch and our neighboring public lands.

It is time for him to follow through on his commitments and introduce a bill that will truly reduce fire risk for Crooked River Ranch while also addressing other issues threatening Whychus-Deschutes.

— Lotte Hermannsson lives in Crooked River Ranch.