Oregon Wild Spring/Summer 2013 Volume 40, Number 2 A river sucked through it OREGON WILD SUMMER HIKES INSIDE From the Director’s Desk Working to protect and restore Oregon’s wildlands, A legacy in the making wildlife, and waters as an enduring legacy. Sean Stevens, Executive Director But this inheritance forces us to to halt the destructive practice of The photo above is of me doing my protected Wilderness areas right Main Office Western Field Office INSIDE THIS ISSUE pause and ask the question: What is suction dredge mining and rally part. Earlier this year, I headed back away – mostly because they stood in 5825 N Greeley Avenue Portland, OR 97217 P.O. Box 11648 Eugene, OR 97440 Phone: 503.283.6343 Fax: 503.283.0756 454 Willamette, Suite 203 Oregon going to look like when I’m support for native wildlife like to Washington, DC to meet with such stark contrast to the clear-cuts A river sucked through it – gone? wolves. administration officials and that appeared in all shapes and sizes www.oregonwild.org Phone 541.344.0675 Fax: 541.343.0996 Zen and the art of rivers {4-7} here are very few places on earth that I love more than Oregon’s Congressional staff. I carried your around them. The e-mail address for each Oregon Wild After all, a natural legacy doesn’t In March, with our conservation Conservation & Restoration Coord. Doug Heiken x 1 outdoors.T One of them is my message with me – that Oregonians staff member: [email protected] leave itself. People have to fight for it. allies at KS Wild, we launched a new We owe the fact that there is some Western Oregon Field Coordinator Chandra LeGue x 2 Oregon Wild Summer {8-9} grandfather’s ranch. Filled with backyardforests.org are proud of our public lands and we (for example: [email protected]) website ( ) wilderness left to protect to the rolling hills, scattered oak, and vistas That is why your support of Oregon want to see them protected as a Eastern Field Office featuring little-known yet stunning generations that preceded us. We owe Membership Associate Marielle Cowdin x 213 Get your Ansel Adams on {back cover} that stretch across the Santa Lucia Wild is so critical. Next year we will legacy for those that follow. 16 NW Kansas Avenue, Bend, OR 97701 recreation spots on western Oregon it to future generations to carry on Wilderness Coordinator Erik Fernandez x 202 Range that shelters the Salinas Valley th Phone: 541.382.2616 Fax: 541.385.3370 celebrate our 40 anniversary as an BLM lands that are currently on the Sure enough, I was reminded exactly this important work. Thank you for Director of Finance & Admin. Candice Guth x 219 from the wild Big Sur coast, the organization. Since 1974, we’ve built chopping block. what is at stake while flying back doing your part. Communications & Outreach Tommy Hough x 223 Eastern OR ranch is a special place. up quite a legacy of accomplishments from my trip. As we began our Development Coordinator Jonathan Jelen x 224 Wildlands Advocate Tim Lillebo in safeguarding the wildlands, In April, we filed notice with the When my grandfather died earlier descent and broke through the layer Wildlands & Wildlife Advocate Rob Klavins x 210 COVER PHOTO: JOEL ZAK Olallie Creek in the Willamette National Forest. wildlife, and waters of this state with Bureau of Reclamation that if they Southern Field Office Throughout Oregon, waterways essential for recreation, drinking water, this year, the ranch was passed on to of clouds I could see Mount Hood’s Conservation Director Steve Pedery x 214 two million acres of Wilderness didn’t follow the law and protect P.O. Box 1923 Brookings, OR 97415 and salmon habitat are facing a serious mining threat. me and my siblings. We were summit ducking in and out of the Executive Director Sean Stevens x 211 protected, 1,900 miles of Wild & wildlife in the Klamath Basin with Phone: 541.366.8623 entrusted with the stewardship of mist. I could pick out Badger Creek, Scenic Rivers secured, and countless adequate water flows we’d take them lands that have been in my family for Salmon River Meadows, and other Oregon Wild Board of Directors species saved from extinction. With a to court. Wildlands Interpreter Wendell Wood six generations. Megan Gibb, President newly-completed four-year strategic www.oregonwild.org/strategic- Daniel Robertson, Vice President plan As I think about the legacy that my vision Pat Clancy, Treasurer grandfather has left my family, I can’t we are poised to build on that Vik Anantha help but think about the special lands legacy. Leslie Logan www.facebook.com/OregonWild that we all own as Americans. We are To get the job done, we’ll need to use Brett Sommermeyer so lucky to live amongst the towering every tool at our disposal – from William Sullivan old-growth forests, rushing rivers, @oregonwild education to litigation and grassroots Jan Wilson and silhouetted peaks found in activism to legislation. Oregon’s national forests and other Oregon Wild is a tax-exempt, non-profit charitable organization. publicly-owned lands. And we are At the beginning of the year, our staff Newsletter printed on New Leaf 100% recycled, 50% post-consumer, FSC certified paper with soy based inks. fortunate that those who came before geared up for the 2013 Oregon us did their part to pass on this Oregon Wild is printed locally by Environmental Paper and Print, legislative session, preparing to work an Oregon Wild donor and business partner. natural legacy. the halls of the state capitol in Salem NIK MUIR Three Sisters Mirror Lake Sunrise Spring/Summer 2013 Volume 40, Number 2 2 3 Spring/Summer 2013 Volume 40, Number 2 Sucker takes all Umpqua, the Molalla, and even the So who’s in charge of oversight? The activities serve as economic engines Metolius, are being targeted and federal government regulates mining for Oregon, yet are being severely Party like it’s A river sucked through it – Zen and the art of rivers Oregon’s mining reputation seems drastically altered by destructive activities and claims made under the impacted by suction dredge mining pale in comparison to extraction- Erik Fernandez, Wilderness Coordinator & Marielle Cowdin, Membership Associate mining techniques. 1872 mining law (see side bar). 1872 happy states like Nevada or West Suction dredge management and Economic studies from the Oregon Virginia. We don’t have mountain Suction dredging, a particularly nasty associated protection of our rivers, Department of Fish and Wildlife top removal or massive industrial method, is currently the fastest however, are tasked to the State of show that fishing, hunting, and “Getting to know a river can be a a magnetism that not only attracts mines. Yet Oregon plays host to a growing threat. The anatomy of a Oregon…at least in theory. wildlife viewing generate $2.5 lifelong journey. Like the ever changing native flora and fauna, but also vast network of mining that spreads suction dredge involves noisy, billion per year for our state. While out across the landscape into citizens’ polluting gas motors mounted on Welcome to Oregon: our finding gold and ‘striking it rich’ is background of an epic story, in my life adventurers, boaters, hunters, anglers, economic engine the Rogue has been a place to gather and even writers and artists. Zane backyards and onto our public lands. rafts. These motors power a vacuum, the ultimate goal for modern day which sucks up the bed of a river or miners, the reality is the with others, a fortress of solitude, an aid Grey was drawn by the wildness of the If measures aren’t taken to protect To say the 1872 mining law is Mining in Oregon has seen a stream (see diagram on next page). overwhelming majority of suction to memory, a song, a quality of light, a Rogue River, and it became his source our wild rivers, the Zen river overdue for an update would be significant increase over the last ten Anything that lives on the riverbed dredgers will never make enough cradle of dreams, a resting place, a of inspiration. years, most intensely in the experience will quickly be replaced an understatement. When the and is unfortunate enough to meet money to pay for their equipment. 1872 mining law passed, Ulysses source of energy, a giver of joy. And southwest corner of our state. with the aforementioned suction Like Grey, many of us will find the business end of the 4-inch wide Is it worth risking the health of our S. Grant was president and there always the living heart of the valley.” dredge encounter. Rafting, fishing, ourselves at the banks of the Wild Oregon’s most iconic rivers, vacuum hose gets sucked up in the rivers and salmon populations – not were no cars on Oregon roads. and other sustainable, recreational - Roger Dorband, from The Rogue: Rogue this summer, seeking out that including the Rogue, the South process. to mention the economies they Much has changed since then, Portrait of a River transcendent experience only a wild support – to satisfy destructive, but not the primary law governing mining on public lands. river can provide. Wading into the widespread hobby mining? Destructive mining operations on erhaps it’s because our bodies are Rogue’s cool, refreshing waters at the Many miners will argue that they public lands continue to go largely comprised mostly of water that beginning of an epic float trip, one unregulated, with few to no Pwe humans identify with rivers so can’t help but feel connected to the too drive Oregon’s economy, buying protections for sensitive areas or passionately.