Obama administration blocks mining on 100,000 acres in Southern Oregon
A long-running effort to block mining in the watersheds of several iconic rivers in southwest Oregon scored a major victory Thursday.
A 20-year ban on new mining projects across 100,000 acres of the Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains was signed by the Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management.
The withdrawal has been pushed for years by environmentalists, politicians and local cities worried about nickel mining fouling water that drains into streams such as the North Fork Smith River and Rough and Ready Creek.
The action was one in a flurry of moves by the Obama administration to enact environmental protections before leaving office. It's separate from the 48,000 acres added to the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, also on Thursday.
“(We’ve) been working to get this done for decades,” said Barbara Ullian, who has opposed mining proposals in the area since the 1990s. “We are thrilled and thankful to President Obama’s Administration.”
The withdrawal halts any new mining in the 100,000-acre area of Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, but doesn’t eliminate existing mining claims.
There have been multiple nickel mining proposals on federal lands southwest of Grants Pass and Cave Junction going back to the 1990s.
But one recent proposal galvanized opposition.
Mining company still fighting to drill near famed river
Beginning in 2012, a Portland mining firm ownedmostly by a company in the United Kingdom, Red Flat Nickel Corp., proposed exploratory drilling and a possible open pit mine on a 2,350-acre site in a remote area southeast of Gold Beach.
The proposal ignited a firestorm of criticism due to its close location to the North Fork Smith River, a stream known for clear water, wildlife habitat and recreation. The river begins in Oregon, crosses the California border and joins the larger river system near Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.
“People come from around the world to vacation in this beautiful country, and it makes no sense to locate a strip mine near a river that means so much to so many,” said Grant Werschkull, executive director of the Smith River Alliance in Crescent City.
The proposal — and others on Hunter, Pistol and Rough and Ready creeks — generated attention from lawmakers in Oregon and California. They began pursuing legislation and the mineral withdrawal as a way to halt possible mining.
“This mining ban will support the area’s recreation economy, safeguard safe drinking water sources for thousands of families in the area, and stop the threats of foreign-owned nickel mining companies who want to strip-mine this beautiful area,” Oregon Rep. Peter DeFazio said in a statement. “I’m proud to have helped to protect this unique land, and I thank my colleagues for their help in accomplishing this important goal.”
The mineral withdrawal doesn’t necessarily mean Red Flat’s proposal will go away. The company has existing mining claims, which means it could still move forward with the project.
“Red Flat Nickel Corp. has a legally recorded claim and could still come to us with a plan of operation,” said Virginia Gibbons, spokeswoman for Rogue River-Siskiyou Forest, the area where much of the withdrawal is located. “That would trigger a ‘valid existing rights determination,’ which is a pretty involved process.”
Even so, mining opponents are celebrating.
“We’re so thankful to the thousands of citizens who've supported the mining ban going back to the 1990s,” Ullian said.
Zach Urness has been an outdoors writer, photographer and videographer in Oregon for eight years. He is the author of the book “Hiking Southern Oregon” and can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors.
Obama expands Oregon’s Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument