Wild and Scenic Rogue River

WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS

Southern Oregon’s Siskiyou Wild Rivers area is home to five designated Wild & Scenic Rivers, and nine candidate rivers.

There’s a good reason the western Siskiyou Mountains of Southern Oregon are known as the Siskiyou Wild Rivers area. The area contains more Wild and Scenic Rivers than any other National Forest in the lower 48 states. The Rogue, Illinois, Chetco, Elk and North Fork Smith Rivers all begin their journeys in the rugged mountains of the region, and their wild, clear waters are a haven for wildlife and humans alike.

Siskiyou Wild Rivers support viable populations of naturally reproducing coho salmon, fall Chinook salmon, winter steelhead, coastal cutthroat trout, green sturgeon and Pacific lamprey. The watersheds surrounding these rivers nurture a stunning variety of wildlife species as well: northern spotted owl, marbled murrelet, northern goshawk, peregrine falcon, osprey, bald eagle, red tree vole, fisher, pine marten, and one of the most diverse salamander assemblages in North America.

RECREATION OPPORTUNITIES:

Wild & Scenic Rivers are for everyone to enjoy. No matter whether you enjoy boating, fishing, hiking, camping, or just spending some time sitting on the bank of the river listening to the wind in the treetops – the rivers of the Siskiyou Wild Rivers area offer visitors a refreshing break from the hectic pace of modern life.

Wild and Scenic Rogue River

NINE CANDIDATE RIVERS:

In addition to the five Wild & Scenic Rivers of the Siskiyou Wild Rivers area, nine additional streams are candidates for Wild & Scenic Status: the South Fork Coquille, Baldface Creek, four tributaries of the Illinois River (Indigo Creek, Silver Creek, Canyon Creek and Rough & Ready Creek), and three tributaries of the Rogue River (Big Windy Creek, East Fork Big Windy Creek and Dulog Creek). Siskiyou Project will work to ensure that these creeks receive the Wild & Scenic protective status they deserve when the Siskiyou Wild Rivers National Salmon & Botanical Area is created.

Wild and Scenic Illinois River

RIVERS AT RISK:

Despite the current Wild & Scenic designations, the rivers of the Siskiyou Wild Rivers area are at risk. Recently, the Wild & Scenic Rogue River had the dubious distinction of being named the second most endangered river in the country in American Rivers’ 2008 edition of America’s Most Endangered Rivers. The report cites logging and road building activities associated with BLM’s proposed Kelsey Whisky Project as a major threat to salmon and steelhead habitat in the tributaries feeding the lower Rogue River. And if that weren’t enough, mining interests have proposed suction-dredge operations at the headwaters of one of the most pristine salmon-bearing streams in the Pacific Northwest – the Wild and Scenic Chetco River.