This year, the Bureau of Land Management has an opportunity to acquire 1,300 acres of land in the Siskiyou Mountains. But an appropriation of $1.5 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund through the Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 Interior Appropriations bill is required. Without it, the character of the PCT in the region may be in jeopardy.

The property in question, called the Sky King Cole property, is partially located within the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument in Southern Oregon and includes over 1 mile of the PCT and four different ecological zones. Its 1,300 acres contribute to two watersheds, the Klamath and the Rogue, and are considered to be a "high mountain bridge" between the Cascade, Klamath/Siskiyou, and Great Basin eco-regions.

Please help us to preserve the Sky King Cole property and to protect the PCT tread that passes through it. Congress will soon be considering its priorities for the Land and Water Conservation Fund for FY 2006. Contact your legislators and encourage their support for $1.5 million for the Sky King Cole project funded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund in the FY 2006 Interior Appropriations Bill. The Pacific Crest Trail Association is already actively involved in advocating for Sky King Cole protection but your individual faxes, e-mails and phone calls to legislators are important too! Please act now!

Due to security concerns, there is a significant delay in the delivery of letters to Members of Congress. To expedite your correspondence, we strongly recommend that you fax, e-mail, or call-in your comments instead of mailing a traditional letter. Contact information for key Congress Members is provided below. E-mail addresses may be obtained through the Web sites listed.

The Honorable Gordon Smith
U.S. Senate
Phone: 202-224-3753
Fax: 202-228-3997
Web: http://gsmith.senate.gov

The Honorable Greg Walden
U.S. House of Representatives
Phone: 202-225-6730
Fax: 202-225-5774
Web: http://walden.house.gov

The Honorable Ron Wyden
U.S. Senate
Phone: 202-224-5244
Fax: 202-228-2717
Web: http://wyden.senate.gov