Legislative Accomplishments of Andy Kerr

No lobbyist is an island. For any legislation to become law, first and foremost it takes at least one legislator, if not several, to prevail upon their colleagues (and let's not forget the role of the legislator's staff who generally toil in obscurity).

All conservation bills become law because a team of conservationists effectively advocated. The conservation team can consist of professional lobbyists, professional staff of conservation organizations, board members and volunteers of conservation organizations, other civic leaders and just regular folks who stand up to be counted. Early on I was just a regular folk, then a volunteer of a conservation organization, then professional staff of a conservation organization and now a professional lobbyist that represents conservation organizations. In some case, I played a support role, while in others I was a key architect of the legislation.

In all, through early 2019, I have been involved with the establishment or expansion of 47 Wilderness Areas and 57 Wild and Scenic Rivers, 13 congressionally legislated special management areas, 15 Oregon Scenic Waterways, and one proclaimed (and then expanded) national monument. The following are Acts of Congress unless otherwise noted. Some legislative act designate more than one conservation area.

1975    Hells Canyon National Recreation Area

1976    Federal Lands Policy and Management Act

1976    National Forest Management Act

1977    Oregon Riparian Area Protection Act (Oregon Legislative Assembly)

1978    Endangered American Wilderness Act

1978    Oregon Islands Wilderness Additions

1980    Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area

1981    Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge

1981    Oregon Offshore Leasing Moratorium

1983    Crater Lake National Park Expansion

1984    Oregon Wilderness Act

1984    Owyhee and Illinois Wild & Scenic Rivers

1986    Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area

1987    Oregon Endangered Species Act (Oregon Legislative Assembly)

1988    Crater Lake National Park Geothermal Exploitation Ban

1988    Oregon Omnibus Wild & Scenic Rivers Act

1988    Oregon Rivers Initiative (statewide election qualified by initiative petition)

1989    Waldo Lake Oregon Scenic Waterway (Oregon Legislative Assembly)

1990    Newberry National Volcanic Monument

1996    Oregon Islands Wilderness Additions

1996    Opal Creek Wilderness and Scenic Recreation Area

1996    Bull Run Watershed Management Unit

1997    National Wildlife Refuge Improvement Act

2000    Steens Mountain Act and proclamation of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument

2001    Little Sandy Watershed Protection

2009    Soda Mountain Wilderness/Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument Grazing Retirement

2009    Copper Salmon Wilderness/Elk Wild and Scenic River Additions

2009    Mount Hood Wildernesses and Wild & Scenic Rivers Act

2009    Oregon Badlands Wilderness

2009    Spring Basin Wilderness

2013    Oregon Caves National Preserve (an expansion of the Oregon Caves National Monument)

2017    Expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument

2019. Oregon Wildlands Act