Rep. Randall testifies in support of the Wild Olympics Act

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Recently U.S. Rep. Emily Randall, D-6th District, testified in a Congressional committee defending and urging the passage of the Wild Olympics Act, which she said would permanently protect roadless headwaters and salmon streams in Olympic National Forest against attacks by Congress and efforts by the Trump administration to strip protections from forests and rivers on public land.

She also urged citizens to sign a Wild Olympics petition telling Congress the lands are not for sale and should be permanently protected and to donate to the cause.

“For a quarter of a century the roadless rule has protected 44 million acres of the most pristine and treasured areas within the National Forest system and in Washington’s 6th District where I represent the Olympic National Forest and is home to the South Quinault Ridge,” Randall testified, adding the area includes 9,800 acres of steep and streams flowing feeding directly into Lake Quinault and the Quinault River which are sockeye salmon habitat areas.

She said Port Townsend, a city in her district, gets their drinking water from a pristine protected watershed in the Olympic National Park.

“Protecting our public lands isn’t just good environmental steward it’s good for people and that’s why I introduced the Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to protect hunting, angling and salmon habitat for future generations”

Randall is also a co-sponsor of U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas’ Roadless Area Conservation Act which would codify the 2001 roadless rule to protect America’s national lands.

“The 44.7 million acres covered by the 2001 roadless rule includes tribal ancestral lands, treaty reserved hunting, fishing and gathering areas, sacred sites and … resources across Indian Country,” she said. “I joined with tribal National environmentalists, and outdoor enthusiasts in opposition to Trump administration’s attempt to rescind the roadless area conservation rule from 2001 and in opposition to HR 7695, which would codify the USDA’s pending rescission of the roadless rule. This bill and the Trump Administration’s proposal are an assault on our federal trust responsibility and would have disastrous environmental consequences.”

HR 7695 is a bill introduced in Congress (2025–2026) would nullify the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, removing federal protections against commercial development and road construction across nearly 45 million acres of National Forest land.

Dan Boeholt, a Grays Harbor County resident and the spokesman for Olympic Public Access Coalition, said his organization has been vehemently fighting the Wild Olympics effort for years.

“We are opposed to Wild Olympics trying to close 65 miles of public access roads on our public Forest Service lands,” he said. “Wilderness will block access to the public on 126,000 acres with no mechanized bikes, strollers, chainsaws for clearing trails. Wild and Scenic Rivers on 26 rivers would restrict usage along 125,000 more acres of our public lands. Less recreational opportunities, not more as their con-game claims in their lies.

“The 40,000 acres of second growth forest, they want to claim as wilderness, needs to be harvested for forest health and jobs. Owls, elk mice and butterflies all benefit from sun lit forest floors. 80 percent of wildlife’s food comes from pollinators. Locking it up and throwing away the key, would be the worst thing these land grabbers could do. Con-game 101 is to lie to the public until even they start believing the lies they are telling.”

Boeholt urged people to stop the Wild Olympics land grab and keep the land working for everyone.

If you want to sign the petition supporting Wild Olympics:

The Wild Olympics group said to join the more than 12,000 people who have signed the petition supporting protections for the Wild Olympics.

The group asked Congress to “support new Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers designations and watershed protections on the Olympic Peninsula.These natural treasures are critical to help restore Hood Canal and Puget Sound, and provide resilient habitat strongholds for fish and wildlife stressed by climate change, especially our threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead runs. These scenic forests and rivers draw tens of thousands of visitors every year, providing a sustainable flow of income to local economies. They provide local communities with clean water, outdoor recreation such as hiking, hunting and fishing, and offer an unmatched quality of life on the Olympic Peninsula. We need to ensure that our Wild Olympic natural heritage is protected for our families and future generations to come. Thank you for your consideration of these issues.”

WildOlympics.org/wild-olympics-petition

If you want to donate to the Wild Olympics campaign:

The Wild Olympics campaign has built a broad coalition of more than 800 endorsing tribes, local businesses, elected officials, sportsmen, outdoor recreation and conservation groups, and community leaders working together to defend Olympic Peninsula public lands. Donations to the Wild Olympics campaign are processed through American Whitewater, a national nonprofit river conservation organization founded in 1954 and a founding member of the Wild Olympics campaign. americanwhitewater.donorsupport.co/page/WildOlympics