Wyden, Merkley Make Third Attempt to Protect the ‘Grand Canyon of Oregon’

Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley’s Malheur Community Empowerment for the Owyhee Act would protect more than 1 million acres of what’s often called “Oregon’s Grand Canyon” from wildfire and degradation. The legislation would permanently protect more than 1.1 million acres of federal public lands in the Owyhee Canyonlands and a 15-mile stretch of the Owyhee River. It would also transfer 30,000 acres of federal and private land into a trust overseen by the Burns Paiute Tribe.