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)

The whole room full of wild river enthusiasts (120 people) signed a letter to Senators Wyden and Merkley asking them to reintroduce and champion the Chetco River Protection Act. The letter was mailed the next day with hopes of capturing some of the evening's energy and good spirit.

Learn what you can do to protect the Chetco River at our How to Help page and urge the re-introduction and passage of the Chetco River Protection Act.

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.

According to Wikipedia, the Kenai River is the most popular sports fishing destination in Alaska, especially for Chinook salmon. Little known until fairly recently, the Chetco River's world class salmon, steelhead and cutthroat trout fishery has become a magnet for sports fishing in Oregon and California. The salmon, steelhead and cutthroat trout the River produces, along with its beauty and exceptional water quality, are of major economic importance to the communities of the Wild Rivers Coast and Curry County.

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

Chetco Mineral Withdrawal EA 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.

In its EA, the Forest recommended the administrative withdrawal, indicating that “full protection of the river’s Outstandingly Remarkable Values —recreation, water quality, and fish— can only occur through a mineral withdrawal.”

 
A 30-day public comment period ended on January 4, 2013.

You can read the Environmental Assessment here.

Next, the Forest will forward its recommendation to the Bureau of Land Management and ultimately to the Secretary of the Interior, who will make the final decision.

In order to safeguard the Wild and Scenic Chetco from new mining claims, the Secretary must officially withdraw the river bed and lands along the river before the current, temporary segregation expires in July of 2013. 

In the meantime, we need to ask our Oregon Congressional delegation to re-introduce the Chetco River Protection Act in the new congress. Please call or send a note to Senator Wyden and Senator Merkley, asking them to reintroduce the Chetco River Protection Act. Go to the How to Help page for quick links.