News
Medford Mail Tribune
Paul Fattig
April 21, 2006
Group proposes wilderness area
A group including mostly Republicans is leading an effort to create a 12,000-acre wilderness area in the Elk River drainage of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.
But the supporters, who include fishing and hunting enthusiasts and business representatives as well as Democrats, say the proposed Copper-Salmon wilderness area centers on protecting a productive fishing and hunting area, not politics.
"We're not a group of environmentalists out to save this place by keeping people out," David Smith, a Republican and president of the Port Orford Chamber of Commerce, said Thursday in a prepared statement.
"In fact, most of the people behind this effort are very conservative in nature," he added. "It's unusual to have a bunch of Republicans behind this kind of proposal. What that should tell you is we want this place to stay like it is because that's what's best for our community."
Eagle Point resident Mike Beagle, a Republican who is field coordinator for Trout Unlimited in Oregon and Washington, also stressed the area's recreational opportunities.
Trout Unlimited is one of 10 fishing or hunting groups endorsing the proposal, and Beagle noted the world-class salmon and steelhead fishing in the stream.
"... This is to ensure that our children will be able to catch salmon and steelhead and hunt in the area," Beagle said, noting the roadless area is home to Roosevelt elk, blacktail deer, black bear and cougar.
When it comes to salmon and steelhead fishing, the Elk River may be one of the best in the lower 48 states, he said, adding the river is noted for its clear water, even when other local rivers run brown during floods.
The wilderness would be in the Elk River drainage immediately east of the 17,000-acre Grassy Knob Wilderness. That wilderness area was created in 1984 to preserve fish habitat along the banks of the Elk River.
The proposed wilderness is in the Copper Mountain roadless area between the Copper and Salmon mountains.
Forest Service officials, noting they have yet to see the specifics of the proposal, declined to comment. The agency would take action if and when Congress requested it, said forest spokeswoman Patty Burel.
The proposed wilderness would be in Oregon's 4th Congressional District represented by Democrat Peter DeFazio of Springfield.
DeFazio supports the Copper-Salmon proposal and would like to see it included in the Mount Hood wilderness bill now before Congress, a spokeswoman said Thursday evening. That bill is supported by Oregon congressmen Earl Blumenauer, a Democrat, and Republican Greg Walden.
Proponents plan to visit DeFazio in Washington, D.C., next week to discuss the proposal. They will present him with a letter signed by ten sportsmen's groups, including the Oregon Council of Trout Unlimited, Southwest Oregon Chapter of the Association of Northwest Salmon and Steelheaders, the Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association, the Oregon division of the Izaak Walton League of America and the Oregon chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers.
The proposal is also supported by the city of Port Orford and the local chamber of commerce.
"That may be the healthiest river in Oregon, and our chapter would like it to stay that way," said Coos Bay area resident John Ward, president of the regional chapter of the Association of Northwest Salmon and Steelheaders.
Richard Wolfe, a local full-time fishing guide who first began fishing the Elk River in 1978, agreed, and emphasized the economic aspect of protecting the area.
"For years, our community has benefited from the money sportsmen and tourists have spent here on their visits to this wonderful area," he said. "A wilderness designation would protect this vital economic resource for our citizens for generations to come."
Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at pfattig@mailtribune.com.