Rogue River

 The Rogue River is a popular destination for outdoor adventures. Tens of thousands of people flock to the river corridor each year to explore the lower river canyon, which includes the Rogue River National Recreation Trail and the existing 35,000 acre Wild Rogue Wilderness. 

Currently, Senator Wyden’s Oregon Recreation Enhancement Act includes provisions that: 

• Establish a 98,000 Rogue Canyon National Recreation Area on the banks of the Rogue River between Hog Creek and Mule Creek. This new National Recreation Area would be on public lands currently managed by the Medford District - Bureau of Land Management. 

• Expand the Wild Rogue Wilderness across 59,000 (and within the new recreation area). The new expanded Wilderness would encompass all of the Zane Grey Roadless Area, which is named for the famed western writer who had a cabin in the area. The Zane Grey Roadless Area is currently the largest roadless area managed by the Bureau of Land Management in the Pacific Northwest. 

• Direct the Bureau of Land Management to develop a Wildfire Management Assessment that identifies, evaluates, and prioritizes treatments in the recreation area and covers topics related to forest restoration, evacuation routes, and strategies for public dissemination.

The Rogue canyon is an important migration corridor and habitat for bears, cougars, osprey, bald eagles, and hundreds of other species of flora and fauna. The area is home to low-elevation old-growth forests and more than 60 miles of waterways that serve as fish-spawning habitat. The Rogue River provides habitat for salmon and steelhead, supporting both the commercial and recreational fishing economies. Communities across the West Coast enjoy more than $1.5 billion in economic benefit from all salmon and steelhead runs on the Rogue River. Annually, the value of commercial fishing of Rogue River salmon is estimated at $1.4 million and at $16 million for sportfishing. (Based on 2009 Rogue Economic report)