Hurdygurdy Creek Protection Complete!
This is a true milestone in the protection of the Smith River watershed --- 10 years in the
making! SRA transferred the final 852 acres into the Smith River NRA (SRNRA) in
late July.
The project included
approximately 5,500 acres of the Hurdygurdy
Creek, Little Jones Creek and Siskiyou Fork watersheds owned by the Agnew
family since the 1950’s. Success required a coordinated team effort
and enormous dedication and help from many of you. The now protected land
contains over 9.5 miles of perennial streams and riparian corridors and many
more miles of intermittent streams.
Hurdygurdy
Creek is recognized as one of the most productive salmon streams within the
SRNRA. With the completion of the Hurdygurdy Creek purchase and transfer into
the SRNRA, SRA has protected the last remaining large private inholding
within the 460+ square mile SRNRA and we have guaranteed public access in
perpetuity for hunting, fishing, hiking, nature watching, and other
recreational activities. Special thanks to the Agnew family for working with
us, the Forest Service staff ---- and to the donors who supported our work.
North Fork Smith Mining Update
Our Del Norte community is very much in synch about opposing the strip mining and protecting their drinking water source ---- and they turned out to listen to Congressmen Peter DeFazio and Jared Huffman in late October pledge to work hard to persuade the administration to put in place the temporary mineral withdrawal.
It’s difficult to go against the 1872 Mining Law, but we have an extraordinary cross-border coalition, excellent leadership from OR and CA Congressional representatives, and our community is standing strong in opposition to upstream strip mining in the headwaters of the Smith River.
We have the
support and participation of Del Norte County Board of Supervisors,
Crescent City Council, every local water agency in the county, the
Crescent City-Del Norte Chamber of Commerce (representing 370+
businesses), CA Department of Fish and Wildlife, N. Coast Regional
Water Quality Control Board, a Joint-Resolution to Protect the Smith
River passed by the CA Senate and Assembly, and of course the
partnership and help from dozens of non-government organizations.
To learn more about why the risk is too
great (think drinking water and healthy salmon runs) to allow strip
mining in the headwaters of the Smith --- please see Cal Trout’s
video, Eternally Wild, about the Smith River and the strip mine threat.
Smith Estuary Restoration Project is
launched
In September SRA hired watershed
scientist Marisa Parish to lead and advance restoration projects
across the basin. Marisa has been working in the watershed for
several years and recently completed her M.S. thesis
through HSU titled “Beaver bank lodge use, distribution, and
influence on salmonid rearing habitat in the coastal plain of the
Smith River.” A major focus for Marisa will be the
Smith River Estuary Restoration Project which is a partnership
project involving the Del Norte Resource Conservation District and
private landowners. Special thanks to the State Coastal Conservancy
for their grant in support of this project. The estuary is the
nursery for salmonids and many aquatic species.