The Copper Salmon Wilderness

Background:

Established  in 2009 by President Obama’s legislative campaign;

the Copper Salmon Wilderness protects and holds a total of 13,703 acres.

The Copper Salmon Wilderness is a protected wilderness area in the Southern Oregon Coast Range and is part of the Rogue River- Siskiyou National Forest. The wilderness area was created by the Omnibus Public Land Managment Act of 2009 and signed into law on March 30, 2009.

It contains a variety of unique plant and animal life, and a vast amount of scenery and beautiful landscapes. 

The Copper Salmon Wilderness area was new to me, and yet is right outside our backdoor! Have you heard of it...


"Copper Salmon is one of the places that crystallizes Oregon's reputation as an outdoor paradise." -Senator Ron Wyden

Features:

13,703 acres of steep mountainous 
lands and forests

Part of Elk River Watershed

9.3 Miles of Scenic Rivers which include: North and South Forks of the Elk River and Upper Middle Fork of the Sixes River.

Its forests feature Douglas Fir trees as large as 
10 feet in diameter and up to 300 feet in height,
and large disease free Port- Orford cedar.                    


Contains one of the nations largest remaining stands of low elevation old growth forest and one of the healthiest salmon, steelhead, and cutthroat trout runs in the US.

    Size: 

    The size of the entire Elk River watershed is approx­imately 60,000 acres, of which about 50,000 is Siskiyou National Forest. Of this, roughly 9,000 acres are in the 17,000 acre Grassy Knob Wilderness Area (the remainder of which is in the Sixes watershed). The proposed Copper Salmon Wilderness Area would extend the Grassy Knob Wilderness on up the river, protecting most of the North Fork and the north side of the South Fork. This would add another 9,000 acres of wilderness protection to the Elk and another 2,000 to the Sixes and S. Fork Coquille. Approximately 40% of the federal land in Elk River would then be protected as wilderness. 

     


      Geography:

    The elevation ranges from less than 700 feet along the river to over 3500 feet at the summits of Copper and Barklow Mountains. Topography is quite steep, averaging approximately 80% slope. Soils are moderately to highly unstable.

   

    

   Wildlife:

    Nests of both the ESA threatened northern spotted owl and marbled murrelet have been found in the CSWA. The area is thought to be especially critical for the survival of the murrel-et too. Deer, bear, and mountain lion as well as numerous smaller mammals, including the ringtail cat are found throughout. The American marten is known to inhabit the area. Also the Elk River is known to be one the most likely areas to be inhabited by the fisher as well.

       

   

     

     Accessibility:

   The Copper Salmon Wilderness can be accessed from trailheads on Forest Road 5201 and 3353, the two roads that boarder the area on the west and east, respectively.

   

   The secluded location and harsh terrain allow these animals to exist; beyond the reach of humans and our interruption in their existence.

   

   Though the Copper Salmon Wilderness is secluded enough to call it a wilderness area. It still sits surrounded by logging and deforestation.

   

    References:

Copper Salmon Wilderness Campaign — Oregon Wild . (n.d.). Home Page — Oregon Wild . Retrieved May 29, 2012, from http://www.oregonwild.org/wilderness/new-wilderness/copper_salmon_wilderness/copper-salmon-wilderness-campaign#interactive-copper-salmon-wilderness

     1.       http://publiclands.org/explore/site.php?id=7962

2.       http://www.oregonwild.org/wilderness/new-wilderness/copper_salmon_wilderness/copper-salmon-wilderness-campaign#interactive-copper-salmon-wilderness

     3.       http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper_Salmon_Wilderness