Protecting Our BLM Backyard Forests
Protecting Our BLM Backyard Forests

Western Oregon’s BLM lands support salmon, steelhead, and wildlife while delivering clean water and recreational values to the public. These forests are source-drinking watersheds for hun-dreds of thousands of Oregonians, they sequester large amounts of carbon, and they provide crucial ecological functions. The natural amenities found on these public lands are highly valued and sought after, from local residents to tourists from around the world.

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Backyard Forests, ForestsKlamath Siskiyouconservation, environment, ecosystem, ks wild, klamath-siskiyou, biodiversity, backyard forests, forests, logging, timber, forestfire, wildfire, salvage, salmon, salmonidae, steelhead, rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, western oregon, oregon, BLM, clean water, watershed, water, carbon, public lands, wild rogue river, rogue river, southern oregon, applegate, applegate valley, illinois valley, community, wildlife, endangered species list, endangered species, clearcutting, buffers, road-building, off-road vehicle, northwest forest plan, washington, western washington, northwestern california, california, resource management plan
Homecoming
Homecoming

After decades of trapping and poisoning, the last wolf in California was shot in 1924. Since then, roads and highways were built and huge tracts of forest have been converted to industrial tree farms. Today, the wolf re-enters a landscape filled with strip-malls, subdivisions, climatic shifts and severe drought. It will take work with residents in areas where wolves migrate to ensure co-existence.

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Wildlife, WolvesKlamath Siskiyouconservation, environment, ecosystem, biodiversity, klamath-siskiyou, ks wild, wildlife, wolf, western wolf, wolves, gray wolf, gray wolves, timber wolf, american wolf, Canis lupis, california, extinction, climate, drought, urban development, co-existance, wilderness act, endangered species act, clean water act, endangered species, forestfire, forests, salvage, logging, timber, wildfire, fire suppression, fire management, native americans, fire dependant, thomas wolfe, homecoming, habitat
Streams Need Trees
Streams Need Trees

Retaining trees in streamside areas is incredibly important to keeping streams cool and water clean. A healthy riparian buffer where logging is limited adjacent to streams serves a number of important functions. The shade from trees prevents the water from getting warmer, something that will be more and more important in the face of climate change.

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Forests, Water, ClimateKlamath Siskiyouconservation, klamath-siskiyou, ks wild, environment, ecosystem, biodiversity, streams, buffers, riparian, forests, logging, salvage, forestfire, wildfire, water, mining, climate, timber, temperature, runoff, wildlife, roads, fish, amphibians, oregon, california, washington, imperiled species, salmon, salmonidae, oncorhynchus, clearcutting, us environmental protection agency, NOAA fisheries, watershed, water quality, landslides, herbicides, pollution, waterways, oregon department of forestry, board of forestry, rogue basin, rogue riverkeeper
Gas Pipeline A Bad Deal
Gas Pipeline A Bad Deal

Rogue Riverkeeper and our allies have been fighting the proposal for a gas pipeline, power plant, and export terminal through southern Oregon for years. This dangerous and unnecessary project threatens private property owners with eminent domain, will impact dozens of threatened and endangered species, will clear-cut a 95 foot swath for 235 miles, will raise our gas rates here at home, and accelerate climate change.

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Water, No LNGKlamath SiskiyouLNG, conservation, environment, ecosystem, klamath-siskiyou, ks wild, biodiversity, water, mining, rogue river, no LNG, oregon, salmon, coho salmon, salmonidae, Oncorhynchus kisutch, columbia river, steelhead, rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, endangered species, tributary, streams, gas, pipeline, gas pipeline, forests, salvage, logging, timber, forestfire, wildfire, wildlife, southern oregon, community, rogue riverkeeper, environmental impact statement
Klamath-Siskiyou: forests of Fire
Klamath-Siskiyou: forests of Fire

The forests of the Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains are dependent upon fire. For millennia, lightning storms have ignited blazes that sparked the unique plant communities, tree composition and biodiversity that define the region. Our forests are evolved to accommodate the regenerative force of fire. 

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Climate, Forests, Fire & Climate SummitKlamath Siskiyouconservation, klamath-siskiyou, ks wild, environment, ecosystem, biodiversity, climate, forests, salvage, logging, timber, forestfire, wildfire, fire, drought, temperature, fire management, klamath-siskiyou mountains, fire dependant, fire resilient, fire suppression, oregon, oregon gulch wildfire, forest service, biscuit fire, kalmiopsis wilderness area, firefighters
Wilderness in the Klamath-Siskiyou
Wilderness in the Klamath-Siskiyou

The Klamath-Siskiyou region is home to the largest expanse of wildlands on the West Coast. Some of these pristine wild areas are protected under the Wilderness Act as Wilderness Areas, but many other wilderness-quality lands are unprotected and face a variety of threats including logging, road-building, over-grazing, and irresponsible off-road vehicle use. 

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Wilderness, WildlandsKlamath Siskiyouconservation, environment, ecosystem, ks wild, klamath-siskiyou, biodiversity, wildlands, wilderness, west coast, wilderness act, wilderness area, forests, logging, salvage, forestfire, wildfire, grazing, cattle, road-building, off-road vehicle, habitat, wildlife, community, southern oregon, northern california, old-growth forest, wild rivers, mountians, geology, glaciers, climate, wild rogue river, cascade mountians, headwaters, rogue river, umpqua river, klamath river, grassy knob, rogue-umpqua divide, sky lakes, copper salmon, siskiyou wild rivers, salmon, salmonidae, oncorhynchus, elk river, sixes river, illinois river, wild rogue wilderness, water, mining, rivers, kalmiopsis, chetco river, north fork smith river, wild and scenic rivers, kalmiopsis wilderness area, soda mountian, great basin, wildflowers, coniferae, conifer, coniferophyta, red buttes, siskiyou, alpine, lakes, siskiyou mountains, russian wilderness, marble mountian, castle crags, marble rim, trinity alps, chanchelulla, yolly bolly, klamath mountians, southern klamath range, klamath range, granite, backpacking, rafting, explore, hiking
How Clean is the Water? Visit Swim Guide for Current Conditions
How Clean is the Water? Visit Swim Guide for Current Conditions

Rogue Riverkeeper has monitored local streams for fecal bacteria, turbidity, pH, temperature, and conductivity with a number of great partners throughout our region. Our past efforts have documented steadily declining water quality throughout the Little Butte Creek watershed, improving water quality on Evans Creek, and highlighted the source of pollution on Ashland Creek so that steps could be taken to improve the situation.

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Rogue Riverkeeper, WaterKlamath Siskiyouconservation, environment, ecosystem, ks wild, klamath-siskiyou, biodiversity, water, water quality, clean water, rogue riverkeeper, swimming, swim guide, pollution, contamination, rogue river, emigrant lake, emigrant reservoir, rafting, bacteria, fecal bacteria, ph, temperature, turbidity, conductivity, little butte creek, watershed, evans creek, ashland creek, safety, hotspots, lost creek lake, lost creek reservoir, applegate river, ruch, illinois river, selma, gold hill, grants pass, ashland, health, waterkeeper swim guide, rogue basin, north america, drought, streams, toxins, algae, klamath river, great lakes, gulf of mexico, public waters, app, swim guide app, tributary, volunteer, fishing
Kalmiopsis Wilderness
Kalmiopsis Wilderness

The mountains of the Kalmiopsis emerged from the ocean floor as result of geological uplift (rather than volcanism) and have been subject to folding and faulting ever since. As a result, the unique soils are packed with heavy metals including nickel, iron, chromium, and magnesium that make life hard for most plant life. To survive in this environment plants have had to evolve and adapt to get by in circumstances that would normally kill most flowering species. More than any other wilderness in the region, the Kalmiopsis is the home of oddball survivors.

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Wilderness, WildlandsKlamath Siskiyouconservation, environment, ecosystem, ks wild, klamath-siskiyou, biodiversity, kalmiopsis, kalmiopsis wildlands, kalmiopsis wilderness area, kalmiopsis wilderness, geology, mountians, kalmiopsis mountains, kalmiopsis rivers, kalmiopsis wild rivers, uplift, plate tectonics, folding, faulting, heavy metals, nickel, iron, chromium, magnesium, Kalmiopsis leachiana, heath, wild rivers, wild and scenic rivers, illinois river, wilderness, wildlands, chetco river, north fork smith river, headwaters, forests, logging, salvage, forestfire, wildfire, water, mining, road-building, watershed, roads, illinois river trail, forest service, backpacking, rafting, smith river, california pitcher plant, cobra lily, cobra plant, Darlingtonia californica, pitcher plant, carnivorous plant, biscuit fire, fire, oregon, california, southern oregon, northern california, fire dependant, knobcone pine, Pinus attenuata, Pinus tuberculata, hiking, tanoak, tanbark-oak, Notholithocarpus densiflorus, nickel mining, off-road vehicle, botany, botanticals
A Wilderness Celebration
A Wilderness Celebration

But what is more important is that wilderness offers something more than just its value to humanity. In wilderness is the essence of all life; it is where complex biological systems continue to function in ways that humans are only beginning to understand. Saving the remaining pieces of wild nature is part of our duty to ourselves, our children, and for all life on the planet. 

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WildernessKlamath Siskiyouconservation, ks wild, klamath-siskiyou, environment, ecosystem, biodiversity, wilderness, wilderness act, 50th anniversary, anniversary, wildlands, forests, logging, salvage, forestfire, wildfire, water, mining, grazing, cattle, clean water, community, local economy
Smith River National Recreation Area: Off-Road Vehicle Playground or Botanical Wonderland?
Smith River National Recreation Area: Off-Road Vehicle Playground or Botanical Wonderland?

The public lands in the Smith River Watershed are legendary for their unique botanical diver- sity and for providing clear, cold water to the largest un-damned river system on the West Coast. It is a stunning and spectacular part of America’s natural heritage that is literally like nowhere else on Earth. 

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Water, Wild RiversKlamath Siskiyouconservation, environment, ecosystem, klamath-siskiyou, ks wild, biodiversity, smith river, smith national recreation area, off-road vehicle, botanticals, wildflowers, wildlands, watershed, northern california, public lands, public land, clean water, west coast, fishing, botany, hiking, smith river wildlands, streams, hotspots, headwaters, water, mining, wild rivers
Wolf OR-7 is a Father
Wolf OR-7 is a Father

Good news for wolves! The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife reported in June that Wolf OR-7 and his mate have at least two pups, seen peeking out from a log to the right. While OR-7’s female companion is not as well known, her untold story is just as miraculous.

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Wolves, WildlifeKlamath Siskiyouconservation, environment, ecosystem, ks wild, klamath-siskiyou, biodiversity, wolf, wildlife, western wolf, wolves, gray wolf, gray wolves, timber wolf, american wolf, Canis lupis, oregon department of fish and wildlife, OR-7, wolf pups, pups, wolf pup, fatherhood, pacific wolf coalition, pacific northwest, west coast