The group is notable for having had a case, Marsh v. Oregon Natural Resources Council 490 U.S. 360 (1989), tried before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Founded in 1974 as the Oregon Wilderness Coalition, and later renamed Oregon Natural Resources Council (ONRC), Oregon Wild claims credit for helping to bring about legislative protection for nearly 1,700,000 acres (690,000 ha) of preserved wilderness, 95,000 acres (38,000 ha) of forests in the Bull Run watershed and more than 58,000,000 acres (23,000,000 ha) of roadless areas, as well as the addition of almost 1,800 miles (2,900 km) of rivers and streams to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
"[1] Additionally, Oregon Wild is listed as a plaintiff in cases against the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S.
[2] In 2006, the ONRC changed its name to Oregon Wild, citing concerns that the organization was frequently mistaken for either a government agency or a state chapter of the Natural Resources Defense Council.
[1] Oregon Wild has ongoing campaigns to protect Portland drinking water quality and the Klamath Basin.