Chetco River Protection Act Introduced

On Wednesday, June 15th, Representatives DeFazio, Wu and Blumenauer and Senators Wyden and Merkley introduced the Chetco River Protection Act—legislation that will increase protection for the National Wild and Scenic Chetco River that's threatened by proposals to mine almost half its length. See press releases below and how to send a thank you message to the congressional delegation.  ------------ Wyden, DeFazio, Merkley Introduce Chetco River Protection Bills in House and Senate Will Boost Federal Protection Designations on more than 3 Miles of River and Prevent New Mining Claims Washington, D.C. – Seeking to protect the Chetco River from expanded suction dredge mining that threatens salmon and steelhead breeding grounds, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and U.S. Representative Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) introduced bills in both the House and the Senate to permanently raise the federal protection levels of more than three miles of the river and put in place new prohibitions on future mining that will preserve the Wild and Scenic portions of the river. U.S. Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and David Wu (D-Ore.) have also cosponsored the legislation.  Full Congressional Press Release. Please send a quick "thank you" email to each congressional office. Here's suggested text that you can cut and paste: Thank you for introducing legislation to provide greater protection for the National Wild and Scenic Chetco River.  We support and applaud your work to protect this amazing waterway through legislation. We would also like to thank you for your efforts to get the Obama Administration to enact an immediate interim mineral withdrawal for not only the Chetco but also Rough and Ready and Baldface Creeks.  These world class rivers and streams are threatened by destructive mining proposals.  Your continued advocacy is crucial to affecting needed interim protections for some of the Siskiyou's rarest ecological gems.    Here are the links to each congressional office: Representative DeFazio  Senator Wyden  Senator Merkley Representative Blumenauer Representative Wu Read Representative DeFazio, Senator Wyden and Senator Merkley's April 21, 2010 letter to the Obama Administration requesting mineral withdrawal for the Chetco River, Rough and Ready Creek and Baldface Creek.

The priceless Wild and Scenic Chetco River