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These five leaders can make it happen...

Send a letter or e-mail: these are the leaders who can sponsor legislation to begin a Mount Hood National Park feasilibility study - the crucial first step in creating a new national park.

To get started: write your own message using the links below, or click on the "view sample messages" link to the left, where you will find sample letters and e-mails to help you write your message. All five members of Congress have online e-mail forms that are easy to paste text into, or mailing addresses for written letters of support.

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Senator Ron Wyden: Senator Wyden brings great passion to his role as our senior senator, and showed that he will think way outside the box with the innovative features of his recent Lewis & Clark Wilderenss bill. He serves on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and chairs the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forest. Senator Wyden is the logical and most likely champion in Congress to step forward with a bold national park proposal for Mount Hood and the Gorge.

Contact Senator Wyden...

Senator Jeff Merkley: He's a new senator, but serves on the important Senate Environment and Public Works Commitee. His personal background includes a father who was a millwright, and a stint as intern for former Senator Mark O. Hatfield. He knows the issues of the changing rural economy, and could be an ally in recognizing the sustainable economy that national park status could bring for rural communities.

Contact Senator Merkley...

Congressman Earl Blumenauer: He co-sponsored the House version of the new wilderness bill for Mount Hood and the Gorge with Representative Greg Walden, and together, they hiked the Timberline Trail to call attention to the legislation. The northwest quarter of the Mount Hood National Park proposal is also within Representative Blumenauer's district, so he is the logical champion in the House for feasibilty study legislation, and may have the boldness and political vision to take a leadership role on the park proposal.

Contact Representative Blumenauer...

Congressman Kurt Schrader: Representative Schrader is another new face in the delegation, but also has a solid environmental record from his years in the Oregon legislature. Schrader's congressional district covers the south half of the Mount Hood National Park proposal, and thus will play an important role in a national park feasibility study.

Contact Representative Schrader...

Congressman Greg Walden: The northeast portion of the proposal is within Representative Walden's district, and he was also a co-sponsor of the House version of the recent Lewis and Clark wilderness legislation. Walden has a sizeable conservation constituency within his vast Eastern Oregon district, including a very active conservation community in the Hood River area, where Walden lives.

Contact Representative Walden...

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