BURLINGTON, VT (September 28, 2006) - Public outrage in Vermont over Governor Douglas' end-run to scuttle the popular New England Wilderness Act of 2006, which included 47,700 acres of wilderness in the Green Mountain National Forest, has brought the governor back to the negotiating table. Lost in the negotiations is about 6,000 acres of forest on the northern side of beloved Glastenbury Mountain. The tract, being called the "Douglas Deletion" by wilderness supporters, will now not be protected from commercial logging and destructive ATV use. The result of the last-minute negotiations between Douglas and the Vermont Congressional delegation is a disappointment to all those in Vermont who had fought since 2001 for 80,000 additional acres of wilderness in the state.

"The Douglas Deletion of six thousand acres of irreplaceable forest on Glastenbury Mountain will become a rallying point for wilderness supporters in Vermont," said Leanne Klyza Linck of The Wilderness Society. "We will redouble our efforts to protect these special forested lands cut out of the wilderness bill by Governor Douglas. We applaud the Vermont Congressional Delegation for fighting to the bitter end to preserve the entire bill. Backed by public outrage, they were able to find a way to protect a part of Vermont in its wild state."

Bipartisan legislation was passed in a unanimous vote in the Senate as part of the New England Wilderness Act of 2006, which included 34,500 acres of wilderness in the White Mountain National Forest. Senate passage of this measure was hailed as an essential step toward permanently protecting some of Vermont's wildest lands and built on two other wilderness bills passed in 1975 and 1984.

"Vermonters have, and always have had, a close relationship with the land," added Klyza Linck. "With a little cooperation in Washington, a little less obstructionism in our own state, and a little luck, Vermonters may get what they want, a Vermont Wilderness Act in 2006."  John Harbison, Chair of the Vermont Sierra Club, said "future generations of Vermonters will enjoy more wilderness despite the Governor's divisive obstructionism."

Throughout the Green Mountain National Forest planning process, Vermonters spoke up in favor of more Wilderness. Throughout some 70 public meetings and over 10,000 written comments Vermonters repeatedly expressed the desire to see more Wilderness in order to maintain a balance of uses in their only national forest. Since the introduction of the Vermont Wilderness legislation in April, a broad cross section of Vermonters have continued to voice their support for the creation of new Wilderness around Glastenbury Mountain and Monastery Mountain. As recently as last week, some 70 Bennington county businesses signed onto an ad supporting wilderness in the Green Mountain National Forest. 

Wilderness designation protects land in its natural state and allows many low impact uses such as hunting, hiking, fishing, and camping. Other benefits include permanent watershed protection and the maintenance of wildlife habitat.