County officials vote against Crater Lake proposal

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) _ The Jackson County Board of Commissioners is opposing a Crater Lake wilderness proposal.

The Mail Tribune reports (http://goo.gl/l1mwBS ) that commissioners voted Wednesday to proclaim their opposition to the proposed Crate Lake Wilderness Area, which would include Crater Lake National Park and surrounding federal lands in the Umpqua and Rogue River national forests.

Commissioners cited a list of concerns in their proclamation, including increased wildfire risks and a wilderness area ban on the use of motorized vehicles.

A group that supports the proposal, Oregon Wild, says the wilderness area designation would not affect access roads used by the public, only backcountry routes. A communications associate with the group also says wildfire activity has been growing for decades.

The group has collected 31,000 signatures in support of the wilderness designation.
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Information from: Mail Tribune, http://www.mailtribune.com/