BLM and USFS Issue 20 Year Protection for Kalmiopsis Rivers! (CA/OR)
There’s great news for the pure rivers of Southwestern Oregon and Northwestern California!
On January 12, 2017, the BLM and Forest Service announced a 20-year halt to new mining activities
in the watersheds of the North Fork Smith, Illinois, Pistol River and Hunter Creek. You can read
the official press release here.
This 20-year “mineral withdrawal” protects these important watersheds from the threat
of industrial strip mining. These watersheds are home to several cherished whitewater rivers in
the region, including Rough and Ready Creek, the Wild and Scenic Illinois River, Baldface Creek,
and the Wild and Scenic North Fork Smith River. The withdrawal protects these lands and rivers
temporarily, giving Congress the opportunity to consider permanently protecting them through
legislation.
In addition to holding amazing opportunities for great backcountry whitewater trips, these rivers
also are strongholds for wild salmon, steelhead and cutthroat. The region provides some of the
richest botanical diversity in the country, and Baldface Creek and the North Fork Smith in
particular supply pure, clean drinking water for downstream communities. These rivers provide
local communities with the foundation for the outstanding natural resource values that fuel their
local economies that are based on sport and commercial fishing, recreation, scenery and
tourism.
Local communities showed overwhelming support for protecting the pristine rivers of the region
from the threats of future mining proposals, as did paddlers from across the region and the
country, affirming that this place is simply too special to mine. Many thanks to all of you who
signed petitions, wrote letters, attended hearings and stood up in support of protecting this
place, over and over again! This overwhelming support, in combination with the strong dedication
for protecting this place of Representatives DeFazio and Huffman, and Senators Wyden and Merkley,
is what made this important milestone a reality!
American Whitewater has been working to protect these wild lands and rivers with many other
conservation and recreation partners, and we celebrate this milestone with them today! But, our
work isn’t over. The 20-year mineral withdrawal is in place so that Congress has time to
consider legislation that will permanently protect these rivers, the values they hold and the
communities that rely on them for their livelihoods. As we celebrate this milestone, we also ask
that you stay engaged. American Whitewater will keep you informed of future opportunities.
You can help us today by thanking key members of Congress from Oregon, Washington, and Northern California's 2nd Congressional District). We have made it easy and prefilled the technical details with an option for you to customize your note.