BILL WOULD SAVE LOOKOUT IN GLACIER PEAK WILDERNESS

U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen is introducing federal legislation to preserve the Green Mountain fire lookout near Darrington.

By Gale Fiege, Herald Writer

DARRINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., plans to introduce legislation Wednesday aimed at halting the removal of the historic Green Mountain fire lookout in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. "The lookout is an integral part of the Glacier Peak Wilderness, important for both recreation and the region's history," Larsen said Tuesday by phone from Washington, D.C. "The message of this bill is simple: The Green Mountain lookout stays on Green Mountain." Earlier this year the U.S. District Court in Seattle ordered the lookout removed after Montana-based Wilderness Watch successfully sued the Forest Service for using a helicopter to repair it, a violation of the federal Wilderness Act. The Forest Service maintained that the lookout's historical significance made it an allowable project in the wilderness. The lawsuit is still in the courts, pending an appeal by the Department of Justice. Read the full article on the HeraldNet site.