Suction Dredge Mining in the Wild and Scenic Chetco River and Kalmiopsis Wilderness
BLM Proposes Large Clear-Cut Near Cave Junction
Oregon’s Governor Wants More Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers for the Siskiyou Wild Rivers Area
Siskiyou Project’s Spring and Summer Hikes
7th Annual Siskiyou FilmFest Huge Success
Suction Dredge Mining in the Wild and Scenic Chetco River and Kalmiopsis Wilderness
America’s Wild and Scenic Rivers and Wilderness areas are national treasures. Places that Americans want preserved for future generations. Places where we can encounter pure and wild nature. Places that are strongholds for our fish and wildlife. Places for people to seek solace and refuge from the hustle and bustle of the workday. These places are our national heritage. They are worthy and deserving of all the protection we can afford them.
The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers is seeking public comments for a proposal by a mining company to conduct a suction dredge mining operation within the Wild and Scenic Chetco River. Some of the proposed sites are even within the Kalmiopsis Wilderness and fall within critical habitat for the imperiled Coho Salmon. The Army Corp needs to know that this is not how Americans want their most treasured places managed or rather, mismanaged. Please join us in sending letters opposing all mining activities within the Chetco Wild and Scenic River and Kalmiopsis Wilderness.
View the proposal online.
Mail your letter to arrive no later than March 14th to:
Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Northwest Region
Attn: 401 Water Quality Certification Coordinator
2020 SW Fourth Avenue, Suite 400
Portland, Oregon 97201-4987
BLM Proposes Large Clear-Cut Near Cave Junction
As part of the Althouse-Sucker Landscape Management Project the Bureau of Land Management is proposing heavy logging of large trees on 600 acres east of Cave Junction. These “regeneration harvests” are essentially clear-cuts and would remove the overstory canopy that provides habitat for spotted owls, red tree voles, flying squirrels and a myriad of other species dependent on older forests. A pristine 500 acre un-roaded area would be fragmented by a 102 acre “regeneration” cut that would remove most of the bigger trees. Please tell BLM Field Manager Abbie Jossie that alternatives 2 and 4 are unacceptable because they destroy too much habitat for old growth dependent species. The 102 acre logging unit must be dropped from the proposal.
The BLM is clearly out of step with the wishes of the American people who want these mature forests protected. Please contact BLM Field Manager Abbie Jossie and ask her to direct the agency to focus on restorative thinning of small trees and reducing stream sedimention from roads, rather than cutting our mature forests.
The Environmental Assessment is available at the Grants Pass Interagency Office or at the BLM’s website.
View photos of the area taken by Joseph Vaile of KS Wild.
Send your comments by March 17th to:
Abbie Jossie
Grants Pass Interagency Office
2164 NE Spalding Ave.
Grants Pass, OR 97504
Oregon’s Governor Wants More Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers for the Siskiyou Wild Rivers Area
In a recent letter to Senator Ron Wyden, Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski asks Senator Wyden to consider adding more Wilderness and Wild and Scenic River designations across the state, and highlights areas in Southern Oregon for most of his request.
“The lower Rogue River is one of the most stunning watersheds in the United States. It provides freshwater habitat to enormous ocean-going salmon runs and the Wild Rogue Canyon is an Oregon icon.”
“Kalmiopsis Wildlands (~250,000 acres)/22 National Wild & Scenic Rivers. The Kalmiopsis Wildlands comprise the watersheds of the National Wild & Scenic Illinois, Chetco and North Fork Smith Rivers, and twenty-one nationally outstanding tributaries. Its proximity to the Pacific Ocean, extreme topographic and soil diversity, hauntingly beautiful rivers, stark windswept ridges and deep boulder strewn canyons makes it an extraordinary land of national significance.”
Read his entire letter.
Contact Governor Kulongoski to let him know you support his vision for Oregon’s wildlands.
Siskiyou Project’s Spring and Summer Hikes
Join Siskiyou Project staff and other fine folks for a walk in the woods, along a river, or out in the serpentine. We have put together a fine series of educational hikes: from the Rogue River to the Illinois River, from Botanical Areas to waterfalls, and from Darlingtonia to Red-naped Sapsuckers. Visit our website for a full description www.siskiyou.org
- Saturday March 22 Snailback Falls
- Sunday March 23 Rogue River Trail
- Saturday April 5 Mikes Gulch
- Saturday April 12 Allen Gulch
- Saturday April 26 Illinois River Trail
- Sunday April 27 Rough & Ready Botanical Area
- Saturday May 10 Illinois River Canyon
- Saturday May 17 Whitehorse Park
- Saturday May 31 Rogue River Trail
- Saturday June 28 Rogue River Trail
- Saturday July 26 Rogue River Trail
- Saturday August 30 Rogue River Trail
- Saturday September 27 Rogue River Trail
- Saturday October 25 Rogue River Trail
7th Annual Siskiyou FilmFest Huge Success
The Siskiyou FilmFest moved to Grants Pass this year, after six successful years in Ashland. We are delighted to report that attendance at this year’s three-day event topped 500 people, making this our best attended film festival to date.
This year, we added a free Youth Film Fest to our Saturday events, with separate sessions for young children and teens. Both sessions were well attended, and we’ve gotten a number of calls from parents and teachers interested in bringing some of the films shown at the Festival into local classrooms. Looks like the Youth Film Fest is here to stay!
To all those who attended, to the wonderful volunteers, and to the many local business sponsors…Thank you!
www.SiskiyouFilmFest.org |
