©2025 League of Conservation Voters
1983 Scorecard Vote
135
257
39
Issues
The vote is on the Shumway (R-CA) Amendment to reduce the acreage of national forest land to be designated as federally protected wilderness under the bill (HR 1437) from 2.33 million acres to 1.278 million acres. This was the largest wilderness bill ever to pass the House for one of the lower 48 states. It created or expanded wilderness areas in 58 national forests. The Shumway Amendment would have reduced protected wilderness areas created by the bill by nearly half. Even without this reduction, the bill released for commercial uses nearly twice as much roadless national forest land as it protected.
Among the wilderness areas created in the bill are the Boundary Peak Wilderness, an extremely rugged area comprising the backbone of the nation’s highest desert mountains and containing important remote habitat for bighorn sheep and numerous other wildlife species; the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness, a spectacularly scenic area with 16 alpine lakes, several impressive volcanic formations, a 200 mile network of trails, 120 miles of trout stream and key habitat for mule deer, bear, mountain lion and wolverine; and the Caples Creek Wilderness, an accessible area highly popular for cross-country skiing, hiking, fishing and swimming.
Shumway Amendment rejected 136-257; April 12, 1983. NO is the pro-environmental vote.
©2025 League of Conservation Voters