Another Kalmiopsis and Wild Rivers Coast Mining Proposal

Despite a 2017 ruling by the Obama Administration to put a 20-year moratorium on mining in the headwaters of the North Fork Smith River and Illinois River, a new mining company has emerged with plans to mine for nickel in the Baldface Creek watershed. Read more about KS Wild’s work protecting this region from mining here.

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New BLM Resource Management Plan

On August 5, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) signed a management plan for western Oregon, largely ignoring a formal protest from 22 conservation and fishing groups. The BLM plan eliminates protections for streamside forests, increases clearcutting in wet forests, and removes 2.6 million acres of federally managed public forests from the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan

Kalmiopsis and Wild Rivers Coast Protected from Mining!

We are celebrating the recent victory to protect some of our most prized rivers from proposed industrial strip mining for a period of 20 years. We are hopeful that this victory will stand, even in the Trump administration.

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Wildlife Advocacy

Part of our work at KS Wild is to track management decisions by the US Fish and Wildlife service to list at-risk species as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. In continuing a 22-year battle to protect their declining populations, we filed lawsuit with three of our conservation allies to list the Pacific fisher. Other species we continue to fight for include the Siskiyou Mountain Salamander, the Wolverine and four species of Lamprey.

Oregon Spotted Frog, WildlifeKlamath SiskiyouJanuary 1, 2017conservation, environment, ecosystem, klamath-siskiyou, ks wild, biodiversity, wildlife, oregon spotted frog, spotted frog, Rana pretiosa, northern spotted owls, birds, amphibians, Strix occidentalis caurina, pacific fisher, mammals, madrones, Arbutus unedo, oak, quercus, trees, botanticals, salmonidae, salmon, forests, salvage, forestfire, wildfire, endemic, appalachia, southern appalachia, migration, mexico, central mexico, southern oregon, northern california, oregon, california, protection, at-risk species, us fish and wildlife, threatened species, endangered species, endangered species act, siskiyou mountain salamander, Plethodon stormi, wolverine, Gulo gulo, lamprey, petromyzantiformes, fish, wildlands, gray wolves, gray wolf, wolves, wolf, western wolf, timber wolf, american wolf, Canis lupis, animals, source habitat, hotspots, kalmiopsis, siskiyou crest, marble mountains, trinity alps, cascade range, road-building, northern goshawk, Accipiter gentilis, marbled murrelet, Brachyramphus marmoratus, red tree vole, Arborimus longicaudus, western pond turtle, Actinemys marmorata, Emys marmorata, green sturgeon, Acipenser medirostris, coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch, game management, wildlife conservation, hunting, fishing, department of fish and wildlife, oregon department of fish and wildlife, funding, climate, jack creek, fremont-winema national forest, cattle, grazing, drought, forest service, wetlands, jack creek wetlands, riparian, groundwater, logging, Martes pennanti

Public Lands for All

While most Americans cherish the idea that public lands belong to and benefit all of us, corporate timber, mining and grazing interests have long sought to privatize public lands in order to maximize profits to their respective industries. While subsidized logging, mining and grazing occur on the vast majority of public lands, these extremists bristle at the idea of there being any rules regarding their exploitation of our forests and rivers.

A Closer Look: Kalmiopsis Rivers

Regularly visited by botanists, it boasts the highest wildflower diversity in Oregon. Fisher folk appreciate the habitat it provides for steelhead and cutthroat trout, and it is well known by locals for always running clear. Before entering the Wild and Scenic Illinois River, it flows through a rugged, beautiful wilderness landscape. Part of this area, the South Kalmiopsis Roadless area was recommended as an addition to the Kalmiopsis Wilderness in 2004.

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How Clean is the Water? Visit Swim Guide for Current Conditions

Rogue Riverkeeper has monitored local streams for fecal bacteria, turbidity, pH, temperature, and conductivity with a number of great partners throughout our region. Our past efforts have documented steadily declining water quality throughout the Little Butte Creek watershed, improving water quality on Evans Creek, and highlighted the source of pollution on Ashland Creek so that steps could be taken to improve the situation.

Smith River National Recreation Area: Off-Road Vehicle Playground or Botanical Wonderland?

The public lands in the Smith River Watershed are legendary for their unique botanical diver- sity and for providing clear, cold water to the largest un-damned river system on the West Coast. It is a stunning and spectacular part of America’s natural heritage that is literally like nowhere else on Earth.

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