Suction Dredge Miners Zeroing in on So. Oregon Rivers- Please send a Quick Auto Letter to DEQ

KS Wild is asking folks to click here to send the letter below to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) asking them to monitor and enforce environmental protections along SW Oregon's precious free flowing rivers as the pressure from recreational suction dredge miners increases following the banning of the practice across the border in California.

Dear Ms. Mitchell,
 
In August, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger took long-overdue action to protect the state’s endangered Coho salmon when he signed a bill that placed a temporary moratorium on suction dredge mining. Under this practice, miners use giant motorized pumps to vacuum streambeds and suck up gravel and river rock in search of gold. In that process, fish eggs can be sucked into pumps and spawning grounds can be damaged or destroyed.

The California moratorium will remain in place until the state Department of Fish and Game completes a study on the effects of motorized dredge mining on fish habitat and issues new regulations to protect salmon and other fish.

A mining group called the “New 49ers,” based on the Klamath River, has made it clear that they are moving operations to southwest Oregon now that California has banned suction dredge mining.

We are very concerned about the impacts of suction dredge mining on water quality and native fish in the Rogue, Applegate and Illinois River watersheds. We are worried about the lack of oversight and enforcement in southwest Oregon for these activities. We ask that DEQ inform the public and policy makers of what measures DEQ is currently taking to protect water quality and fisheries from dredging activities and how DEQ intends to respond to the foreseeable increase in this activity.

Thank you,