Chetco River in April 25th Oregon Treasures Act hearing

The Public Lands Subcommittee of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held hearings on an assortment of public lands bills on April 25 including the Oregon Treasures Act (S. 353), which includes language that would give the Wild and Scenic Chetco River additional protection from mining threats. As of 2013, the Chetco River Protection Act has been incorporated into S. 353.

A cool late summer fun run of the Chetco's wild Scenic River Area (© Northwest Rafting Company)

Chetco River Protection Act reintroduced in House!

Kayaking the Chetco's "scenic" reach

In mid March, Congressman DeFazio reintroduced the Chetco River Protection Act, H.R. 1215, into the 113th Congress. The bill was co-sponsored by Oregon Representatives Earl Blumenauer and Susanne Bonamici. The language of H.R. 1215 matches up with the bill introduced in the Senate as part of the Oregon Treasures Act S.B. 363. It is exactly the same as what has been proposed in years past.

The Chetco River Protection Act and the Chetco portion of the Oregon Treasures Act would withdraw the "wild" and "scenic" reaches of the Chetco River (on Forest Service lands from the Kalmiopsis Wilderness boundary down to the Forest Service boundary) from new mineral claims.

Our Wild and Scenic Chetco River makes USA Today

Kayaking in Kalmiopsis (NW Rafting Co.)

The National Wild and Scenic Chetco River made USA Today last week in an article about the top new adventure travel trips of 2013.

“Think crystal-clear pools for swimming, scenic canyon hikes, and the absolute tranquility of a remote and virtually unvisited river,” reporter Josh Roberts wrote about the Chetco when describing a new adventure trip that will be offered this year by Northwest Rafting Company.

Senators Wyden and Merkley re-introduce Chetco River bill

Steelhead fishing on the Chetco (Tim Palmer photo)

On February 14, Senators Wyden and Merkley re-introduced the Chetco River protection bill into the new Congress as part of their new Oregon Treasures Act.

Please send a note to Senators Wyden and Merkley to thank them and to encourage them to press forward with this important conservation legislation.

Forest Service recommends mineral withdrawal for Chetco

No motorized dredge mining on the Wild and Scenic Chetco!

In January, the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest released its Environmental Assessment (EA) of a 5-year mineral withdrawal for the National Wild and Scenic Chetco River.  In its EA, the Forest indicated that “full protection of the river’s Outstandingly Remarkable Values —recreation, water quality, and fish— can only occur through a mineral withdrawal” and recommended that the Secretary of the Interior take action.

Chetco River featured at Wild Rivers Night in Portland

Beautiful photographs of the National Wild and Scenic Chetco River, by Tim Palmer and Ann Vileisis, President of Kalmiopsis Audubon, were one of the keynote features at a wildly successful 3rd Annual Wild River Night in Portland on January 9th. Begun three years ago by Northwest Rafting Company, the event (to raise funds for river conservation) was bigger and better than ever.

Tim Palmer talking to packed crowd at Wild Rivers Night in Portland (Northwest Rafting Co. photo)

Chetco River—Oregon's version of Alaska's Kenai River

A recent article in the Medford Mail Tribune tells of Emma Winter's first winter steelhead fishing trip and the reward of landing one of the Chetco River's large mint bright steelhead. Saying the Chetco is to Oregon as the Kenai is to Alaska, the article (appearing in papers as far flung as the Billings (Montana) Gazette) also discusses theories about why the Chetco River consistently produces large winter steelhead and chinook salmon.

Emma Winters with her dad, Orie, on the Chetco and Emma's first steelhead (Wild Rivers Fishing photo)

Chetco Mineral Withdrawal Environmental Assessment released

The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest recently released its Environmental Assessment (EA) for an administrative mineral withdrawal on the Wild and Scenic Chetco River.

The mineral withdrawal is being considered in-aid-of legislation —the Chetco River Protection Act, introduced by Senator Wyden, Senator Merkley, Congressman DeFazio, and Congressman Blumenauer to permanently safeguard the Wild and Scenic Chetco from future instream mining proposals in its designated reaches.

A 30-day public comment period ended on January 4, 2013. You can read the Environmental Assessment here.

Cherish the Chetco — a success!

By all accounts, “Cherish the Chetco,” a 2-day river event held on Sept. 21-22, 2012 was a great success. It was co-sponsored by Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest and South Coast Watersheds, and many public agencies, community groups, and volunteers pitched in to help out.

On Friday evening, the library was packed. Noted author and river expert Tim Palmer spoke and showed slides about the history of the National Wild & Scenic Rivers program, which protects the Chetco and three other Curry County rivers (Elk, Rogue, Illinois), and he explained the special significance of the Chetco.

Invitation to Cherish the Chetco: Sept. 21st & 22nd.

South Coast Watersheds and the U.S. Forest Service are co-sponsoring a community river event—Cherish the Chetco--to promote stewardship of the National Wild & Scenic Chetco River. Everyone is welcome.

The event will kick off on Friday Sept. 21 at 7pm with “Wild Rivers Night” at Chetco Library in Brookings, featuring noted river author and photographer Tim Palmer, speaking about the Wild & Scenic Rivers system, and biologist adventurer Slade Sapora showing slides from his recent kayak trek down the Chetco.

On Saturday, Sept. 22, there will be activities up river all day.

Return to the Chetco

This week Zach Collier and friends explored the lower gorge of the National Wild and Scenic Chetco River in inflatable kayaks. On their last trip they took out above this challenging part of the Scenic River Area. So they came back. Only this time instead of 1300 cfs (June 15, 2011), the flow was 90 cfs!

Conehead Rapid on the lower gorge of the Wild and Scenic Chetco River, Northwest Rafting Co. photo

Invasive species and our rivers and watersheds

Click here to enlarged Jack Ohman's cartoon.

A new Oregon Sea Grant report found that teachers and classrooms may be vectors for invasive species. According to the research, one in four teachers who use live animals in the classroom release them into the wild. Read about the report at Breaking Waves and indelibly stamp Jack Ohman's cartoon on your minds.

The problem of invasive species is serious, national and local. It affects us right here in Southwest Oregon. Read more below about the efforts of volunteers and agencies to prevent the spread of a highly invasive plant in the Illinois Valley. We also provide links to government websites about the threats that invasive species pose to the State of Oregon, including invasive marine aquatic species from the Japanese tsunami debris. Watch Oregon Field Guide's program on the problems that common gold fish are causing when released into our streams and lakes.

Saving the Chetco River, salmon ecology 101

The recent Frontline documentary Alaska Gold chronicles many heroic and inspiring stories in the struggle to save Bristol Bay and its wild watershed from a mega copper mine. We provide a link to another one below. Bristol Bay serves as a reminder that the job of protecting our own wild salmon river from mining is far from done.

The Chetco River Protection Act has not been passed into law and the Forest Service's proposed temporary mineral withdraw still faces many hurdles before it's even decided on by the Secretary of Interior. If these efforts fail, we could once again be faced with proposals to mine the entire length of the Chetco—from Boulder Creek to the Forest Service boundary. Please go to How to Help and send a reminder to Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley that we need their help. Go ahead. Please nag the Senators for the Chetco and read about "salmon ecology 101" and what others are doing below.

Recently hatched salmon and salmon eggs from Pebble Science's Salmon Ecology 101.

Hatchery salmon threaten wild populations, scientists say

All the citizens and organizations writing the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife out of concern over the high percentage of hatchery salmon allowed on the Chetco are to be congratulated for standing up for the river's exceptional wild salmon populations. Here's an excerpt from a new post, "Hatchery salmon threaten wild populations, scientist say," on Breaking Waves, Oregon Sea Grant's news blog that provides even more science supporting the need to reduce hatchery supplementation:

Watch Frontline documentary—citizens fighting to preserve one of the world's greatest salmon fisheries

If you missed it on PBS, you can watch Frontline's Alaska Gold in full online. Frontline's website contains other resources of interest too. Go to Alaska Gold. The documentary is about great salmon watersheds, how they work and people coming together to protect one of the world's greatest salmon runs. It equally presents the multinational mining company's arguments to develop a mega mine in the watershed. The footage is excellent. The film inspiring. Highly recommended.

Photo courtesy of Felt Soul's Red Gold website. See the Red Gold trailer below.

This is how frontline describes the documentary:

Celebrate our beautiful undammed rivers

Here on the Wild Rivers Coast we are blessed with the most beautiful productive, undammed salmon rivers between the Olympics and Baja.  As river lovers like Phyllis Clausen celebrate the removal of dams on their rivers, it should be a reminder to celebrate and take care of our free flowing rivers—the Elk, Chetco, Illinois and Smith River—and their wild watersheds.

Phyllis Clausen celebrates the removal of the Condit Dam on the White Salmon River.

Below are two powerful short videos about dam removal—one the trailer for DamNation, a new documentary by Felt Soul on dam removal and the other Andy Maser's short film for Outside Magazine on the spectacular removal of the Condit Dam on the White Salmon River.