Wild Sky Wilderness
| Wild Sky Wilderness | |
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IUCN category Ib (wilderness area)
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| Location | Snohomish / King counties, Washington USA |
| Nearest city | Skykomish, Washington |
| Coordinates | 47°50′46″N 121°24′26″W / 47.84623°N 121.40722°WCoordinates: 47°50′46″N 121°24′26″W / 47.84623°N 121.40722°W |
| Area | 106,577 acres (431.3 km2) |
| Established | 2008 |
| Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
The Wild Sky Wilderness is a 106,577-acre (431 km2) wilderness area in the western Cascade Range of Washington state. The wilderness is within the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest north of the U.S. Highway 2 towns of Index and Skykomish. The wilderness flanks, but does not include, the North Fork Skykomish River and the Beckler River. The Henry M. Jackson Wilderness is adjacent to the east and northeast. The highest point in Wild Sky Wilderness is 6,244 foot Gunn Peak.
Until 2014 with the expansion of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness by President Obama, the Wild Sky Wilderness was significant because it was the first new federally designated wilderness in Washington since 1984. Also, unlike many other wilderness areas in the Cascades, Wild Sky protects significant amounts of high productivity low-elevation forest.
The Wild Sky Wilderness required several legislative attempts before becoming law, despite broad local support. Prior to 2007, the Wild Sky bill was blocked in committee by Representative Richard Pombo of California, who was not reelected in 2006. President George W. Bush had been receptive to the proposal.
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