Mount Hood Stewardship Legacy Act

The Mount Hood Stewardship Legacy Act (H.R. 5025) proposes to expand federal protections and improve recreational management within the Mount Hood National Forest in Oregon. The bill would designate approximately 77,000 acres of new wilderness areas and nearly 25 miles of new "wild and scenic" rivers, protecting these lands from future development, mining, and commercial timber harvesting.

For citizens and local communities, the legislation aims to enhance outdoor access by authorizing the construction of a new trail for persons with disabilities and conducting feasibility studies for a gondola connection between Government Camp and Timberline Lodge. It also establishes a special Treasury account to ensure that land-use fees collected within the forest are reinvested locally into trail maintenance and forest health projects. Additionally, the bill facilitates several land exchanges to resolve long-standing property disputes, protects local watersheds, and affirms the treaty rights of Native American tribes to gather traditional "first foods" within the forest.