In 1833, explorer Benjamin Bonneville gazed upon Hells Canyon — located in northeastern Oregon — and said nothing in any other region could compare to its wild majesty and impressive sternness.
The Hells Canyon Preservation Council, which is working to sustain the natural beauty of Hells Canyon’s ecosystem, is giving a presentation tonight in conjunction with Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group about the current movement.
The slide show, taking place at 6:30 p.m. in the EMU Gumwood Room, will focus on gaining support for a project aimed at changing the management of Hells Canyon from the U.S. Forest Service to the U.S. National Park Service.
The Hells Canyon-Chief Joseph National Preserve project is named with respect to Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce tribe — a tribe that lives in the Hells Canyon region. The project also focuses on giving the Nez Perce a more direct voice in management of the preserve in accordance with treaty rights.
Min Lee, the coordinator of the project, said the reason why no current bills or legislation exist is because supporters of the project want to have strong support from different groups.
“We want people to feel invested in this project,” she said.
Lee added that a bill will eventually be available, but Congress must first allocate money to the National Park Service so it can conduct a study to determine whether Hells Canyon should be under the park service’s authority.
Freshman Rebecca Shively, the University’s OSPIRG campaign coordinator for the project, said she is very excited about the project even though it is her first.
“I’ve always been really passionate about environmental issues,” she said.

— Ali Shaughnessy