Delegation Acts to Protect Oregon Caves, Chetco River
April 12, 2011Thanks to you, protections introduced in Congress
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Last week, Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Representative Peter DeFazio introduced legislation to protect the Oregon Caves and Chetco River in southwest Oregon . These same bills were introduced in the last Congress and progressed through committees, but failed to go to the floor for a vote before they adjourned in 2010. These bills are the result of people voicing their love of, and concern for, these special places over the years. We are happy to see the delegation re-commit to this effort to protect these Oregon treasures and we—with your help—are committed to seeing these bills through to fruition.
In order to expand economic development opportunities, increase recreation and protect the drinking water for some 80,000 visitors a year, proposed legislation would enhance protections for the Oregon Caves National Monument. The legislation would implement National Park Service recommendations to expand the boundaries to allow for better management of the cave resources by adding approximately 4,000 acres to the Monument. Known primarily for its vast marble caves, the 480-acre Monument was established in 1909 by proclamation of President William Taft. The National Park Service formally proposed adjusting the Monument boundary to encompass nearby caves and the surrounding Cave Creek Watershed several times – first in 1939, then in 1949, and most recently in 2000.
The legislation would designate the nation’s first subterranean Wild and Scenic River, known as the River Styx. This sub-surface stream maintains many of the caves’ unique features. The proposal would also protect the drinking water of the Monument from possible contamination from cattle by allowing the voluntary buyout of grazing permits within the expanded boundary and upstream watershed. Grazing has long been a concern of the Park Service, which collects its water from a surface stream that flows through the Bigelow Lakes Botanical Area at the heart of a grazing allotment. Funds for the buyout would come from private sources, and all parties involved are agreeable to the proposed grazing retirement.
Legislation introduced last week also includes protecting southwest Oregon’s Chetco River by strengthening designations under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and enacting a mineral withdrawal. In 2008, a proposal was submitted to mine roughly 24 miles of the 45-mile National Wild and Scenic segment of the Chetco River, including approximately six miles within the Kalmiopsis Wilderness. The proposal calls for mining the riverbed for gold using suction dredges. Mining could dominate the Wild and Scenic Chetco, despite its nationally outstanding fishery, clean water, and significant contribution to the local recreation economy. The Wild and Scenic Chetco River provides exceptionally pure and clean drinking water for the 14,000 residents of Brookings-Harbor, Oregon. In the winter, the river’s salmon and steelhead fishery is a major economic engine for the coastal community. In the summer, the river provides diverse recreation opportunities, including fishing, camping, swimming, picnicking, boating, and sightseeing. The river supports nearly 200 wildlife species, including threatened Coho salmon, marbled murrelets, and northern spotted owls.
The legislators also reintroduced a bill that would that would permanently protect the 30,000-acre Devil's Staircase Wilderness in the central Oregon Coast Range.
Send a quick "Thank You" for these efforts on behalf of the Oregon Caves and Chetco River.
