Bulletin of the Native Plant Society of OregonNOTE: This is an archived NPSO Bulletin.
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Bulletin of the Native Plant Society of Oregon[ Return to Bulletin Directory ]
The NPSO membership year is January to December. NPSO brings you field trips, programs, classes. the monthly Bulletin and the annual Kalmiopsis. Your membership and donations make it possible to carry out more of the many projects that are needed to pursue the goals of NPSO.
The 1997 edition of the NPSO Membership Directory will be published in April. If you wish to receive a copy, add two dollars to your renewal payment. If you wish to have your address or telephone number, or both, withheld from publication, please make a prominent note on your renewal form. If you would like to have your e-mail address published in the Directory, please send e-mail to jddobak@teleport.com.
Jun. 6-8, Fri. - Sun. Annual Meeting: See inside for details.
Apr. 26, Sat. State Board Meeting: 10 A.M. - 4 P.M. Douglas County Museum, Douglas County Fairgrounds, Roseburg. Directions: Take 1-5 exit 123 south toward fairgrounds, then first right to Museum. Tour of Douglas County Herbarium (same location) can be arranged. The Glide Wildflower Show is the same weekend.
Mar. 3, Mon. Meeting: 7 P.M. Small Business Development Center, SE 1st & Dorian, Pendleton. Vicky Erickson and Nancy Berlier, USFS, will talk about the Forest Service Native Species Program.
Mar. 10, Mon. Meeting: 7:30 P.M. Room 2087, Cordley Hall, OSU campus. Rhoda Love, longtime teacher of botany at Lane Community College, will talk about the forthcoming book, Northwest Plant Hunters, of which she is one of the editors-in-chief.
Apr. 14, Mon. Meeting: 7:30 P.M. Room 2087, Cordley Hall, OSU campus. Camille Tipton will give a talk on "Conserving the Cloud Rainforests of Northwestern Ecuador." Little remains of this high montane forest where biodiversity equals that of the Galapagos Islands.
Mar. 22, Sat. Field Trip: Mosses in the urban setting, with Dave Wagner. Meet: 10 A.M., bus kiosk, Kincaid and 13th, across from the U. of O. Will explore around the U. of 0. campus, then across the river to Alton Baker Park. Bring lunch if you wish to picnic after the field trip (sometime around 1 P.M. Contact Dave, 341-4169, for further information.
Mar. 31, Mon. Meeting: 7:30 P.M. Main campus, Lane Community College. Directions: From 30th St., turn south on Eldon- Schafer Dr., go past Oak Hill School, park in south parking lot at LCC, walk down stairs of Science Building to room 109, which faces south parking lot. John Stimac, a geology teacher at OSU and LCC, will give a presentation on "An example of an extreme geologic event; an ash flow tuff and its effect on the environment."
Apr. 12, Sat. Field Trip: LCC Forest Reserve. 9 A.M. - Noon. Meet: South parking lot above the Science Building, LCC main campus. (See directions for meetings.) We will explore the Reserve area and add to the species list. Cimiciftiga elata and Aster vialis are of particular interest. Please call Gail Baker, (541) 747-4501, extension 2085, for more information.
Apr. 19, Sat. Field Trip: Learn about, and search for, the federally endangered Bradshaw's desert parsley (Lomatiurn bradshawii) in the Upper Amazon Basin of South Eugene. Meet: S. Eugene H.S., parking lot, 9 A.M. We'll start looking at one small and one large population, then learn basic search techniques and split into teams to search the Upper Amazon for new populations. Bring lunch, clothes appropriate for weather, and boots for soggy ground. Leader: Bruce Newhouse.
Meeting: No meetings in March or April.
Mar. 5, Wed. Meeting: 7:30 P.M. Mosier School. Mike Fahey will talk to us about gardening with natives.
Mar. 23, Sun. Field Trip: Tom McCall Preserve. Joint trip with The Nature Conservancy and the Portland Chapter of NPSO. (See Portland Chapter below, for details.) Contact Barbara Robinson.
Mar. 30, Sun. Field Trip: Cherry Orchard Trail. Joint trip with Portland Chapter of NPSO. (See Portland Chapter below for details.) Contact Barbara Robinson.
Apr. 2, Wed. Meeting: 7:30 P.M. Mosier School. Bob Ottersberg will give a presentation on plants and soils.
Apr. 13, Sun. Spring Wildflower Show: 10 A.M. - 4 P.M. Mosier School.
For information on North Coast Chapter, contact Christine Stanley.
Mar. 2, Sun. Field Trip: Hoyt Arboretum. Stretch your legs and learn about native trees and shrubs in a walk along some of the trails of Hoyt Arboretum. Learn to distinguish the principal conifers of western Oregon and try your hand at keying some of the more common deciduous trees and shrubs, even before their leaves emerge, using distinctive characteristics of bark, twigs and buds. The leaves and blossoms of Indian plum (Oemleria cerasiformis) should be out and perhaps the secretive spring queen (Synthyris reniformis) will be discovered. Meet: 10 A.M., Hoyt Arboretum visitor's center, 4000 SW Fairview Blvd., Portland. Contact Greg Stone, for more information.
Mar. 8, Sat. Field Trip: Catherine Creek. Moderately strenuous hike up the Atwood Road with the option of descending cross country. Great show of spring wildflowers, including Sisyrinchium douglasii and Fritiliaria pudica. Walking: Up to 5 mi., elev. gain 1000 ft. Driving: 150 mi. RT. Leave: 8 A.M., Lewis and Clark State Park. Second meeting place: 9:30 A.M., Bingen Winery parking lot. Contact: Sara Barnum.
Mar. 11, Tue. Meeting: 7 P.M. First Methodist Church, 1838 SW Jefferson, Portland. Roy Beatty will tell us about "Native Plant Salvage."
Mar. 16, Sun. Field Trip: Three Bench Loop. Hike about 1 1/2 mi. R.T. (not 7 mi. as listed in the hardcopy bulletin), with 500 ft. elev. gain. Hike in open grassland at Devil's Hole, see unusual rock formations, pretty streams, abundant wildflowers. Leave: 8 A.M., Gateway/99th Ave. Park & Ride, near southeast corner of parking lot. Take exit 7 from 1-84, turn immediately right onto NE 99th Ave. Second meeting: 9:30 A.M., Rest Area at M.P. 74, Washington Hwy. 14. Cross Columbia River on Hood River Bridge at exit 64 from 1-84. Contact Russ Jolley for more information.
Mar. 22, Sat. Field Trip: East bank of Deschutes River. Explore this area north of Sherar's Bridge. Car botanizing trip, with minimum walking. Meet the elegant Viola trinervata and the slimy Mirnulus jungermannioides. Driving: 220 mi. RT. Return to Portland, 6 P.M. or later. Leave: 7:30 A.M., Lewis and Clark State Park. Contact: Jan and Dave Dobak, jddobak@teleport.com.
Mar. 23, Sun. Field Trip: Tom McCall Preserve. 4 mi., easy trails. Explore oak savanna, biscuit and swale meadows and pond margin habitats. Expect to see grass widow (Sisyrinchium douglasii), prairie star (Lithophragma glabra), yellow bells (Fritillaria pudica) and many more. Joint trip with The Nature Conservancy and Mid-Columbia Chapter. Leave: 8:30 A.M., Lewis and Clark State Park. Second meeting: 10 A.M., Rowena Crest Viewpoint. Contact Barbara Robinson.
Mar. 30, Sun. Field Trip: Cherry Orchard Trail. Bring lunch, water, your favorite plant guide. Be prepared for sun and wind. 6 mi. RT, steep climb of about 1000 ft., through beautiful oak woodlands, with expansive river views and wildflowers, including shooting star (Dodecatheon poeticum), glacier lily (Erythronium grandiflorum) and desert parsley (Lomatium grayii). Joint trip with the Mid-Columbia Chapter. Leave: 8:30 A.M., Lewis and Clark State Park. Second meeting: 10 A.M., trailhead parking lot, half mi. east of Lyle on Hwy. 14, immediately east of the double tunnels on north side of hwy. Contact Barbara Robinson.
Apr. 5, Sat. Workshop: Two part plant identification class. Session I. Leach Garden, Portland, 9 A.M. - 12 A.M. Do you want to know more about our native flora, but find yourself bewildered by the huge variety of plants and frustrated by plant keys? These classes, taught by Marty Stein, USFS botanist, and offered in cooperation with the Leach Garden, will include an introduction to the basic principles of plant taxonomy, definition of botanical terms, lessons in the use of plant keys, and practice in recognizing the main features of the most common plant families. Includes hands-on identification with the native plants at the Garden. Dress for the weather. Class limit: 25. Fee: LGF or NPSO members $25, non-members $30. To register call Leach Garden, 761-9503.
Apr. 12, Sat. Workshop: Plant identification class. Session II. Leach Garden, Portland, 9 A.M. -12 A.M. (See April 5, above, for details.)
Mar. 20, Thu. Meeting: 7:30 P.M. Room 171, Science Building, Southern Oregon State College. Elaine Plaisance and Jim Duncan will present a slide show on their "Botanical Explorations in Polynesia: New Zealand and Hawaii."
May 17-18, Sat.-Sun. Wildflower Conference: The Southern Oregon Coast/SW Oregon Wildflower Conference, in Charleston, Oregon, focuses on the diverse and unique flora of the southern Oregon coast and the Siskiyou Mountains. Saturday: Presentations on rare plants of the area, local wildflower hot spots, and impacts of exotic vegetation. Sunday: Field trip to unique coastal habitats south of Bandon. Admission for entire week-end is $20. For more information, contact Bruce Rittenhouse.
Mar. 13, Thu. Meeting: 7 P.M. Room 310, Douglas County Courthouse, Roseburg. A presentation by Richard Halliwell on the plants of north central Oregon.
Mar. 22, Sat. Field Trip: Looking at lichens. Meet at 8 A.M. at the BLM parking lot, 777 Garden Valley Blvd., Roseburg.
Mar. 19, Wed. Meeting: 7 P.M. United Methodist Church, 600 State St. NE, Salem. Peter Zika will speak on "The Natural History of the Amazon."
Mar. 19, Wed. Meeting: 7-9 P.M. Forest and Range Sciences Laboratory, Gekeler Lane and C Ave., La Grande. 7-8 P.M. Business: We will continue planning our spring, summer and fall field trips. Suggestions are welcome. 8-9 P.M. Program: Janet Ebaugh, botanist for the Umatilla Tribes, and Lorna Williamson, private landowner, will do a slide presentation on the restoration of McCoy Meadows, a wet meadow on the upper Grande Ronde River. Among other things, they will discuss vegetative restoration, weeds and bird box monitoring. Come find out how you can help with this project, or just enjoy the show.
The 31st Glide Wildflower Show will take place on Saturday, April 26 and Sunday April 27 from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. (8 to 9 A.M. for photographers only) in the Glide Community Building, 20062 N. Umpqua Highway, Glide, Oregon 97443. It will also be open on April 28 for school groups. The show includes hundreds of wildflowers from southwestern Oregon, as well as exhibits and specimens of trees, shrubs, lichens, liverworts, mosses, ferns and grasses. Photographs of rare and endangered species will be displayed, and there will be special programs with slides and guest speakers.
Admission to the show is free, but donations to help defray expenses are welcome. The location is 17 miles east of Roseburg, and it takes place the same weekend as the NPSO State Board meeting to be held in Roseburg, so take advantage of the opportunity to do both. For more information, call Simone Grissette, or Gyan Surya, or write to: GWS, Box 332, Glide, OR 97443.
The Willamette Valley Chapter invites you to the 1997 annual meeting which will be held at "Camp Cascade." The Camp is located on the banks of the Little North Fork River in scenic Elkhorn Valley, forty miles east of Salem in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. Meals and men's and women's dormitory lodgings are available on-site. Those wishing to camp will find BLM campgrounds nearby along the Little North Fork of the North Santiam River. Other recreational sites in the area are: Elkhorn Valley Golf Course, and Salmon Falls County Park. A detailed map and directions to Camp Cascade will be included with your registration confirmation. To register, print, complete, and return the Registration Form with fees payment no later than April 30, 1997.
Friday evening, June 6th: Exhibits and registration will be open at 5 P.M. An (optional) walk around the Camp's 1-mile nature trail will start at 5:30 P.M. A slide show, "Wildflowers of the Willamette Valley and Cascade Mountains," will begin at 7 P.M. No dinner will be served on Friday evening, but there will be light snacks and refreshments during the evening.
Saturday morning, June 7th: Breakfasts will be served at 8 A.M. Your pre-ordered sack lunches can be picked up at breakfast. All Saturday field trips will leave from Camp Cascade at 9 A.M.
Saturday evening: Social hour begins at 5:30 P.M., followed by the banquet at 6:30 P.M. After dinner, new state officers will be installed.
The evening's speaker, Dr. Scott Sundberg, a Faculty Research Associate at Oregon State University, will discuss the Oregon Flora Project which he coordinates. The primary goal of the Project is to produce a Flora of Oregon and an Oregon Plant Atlas in both paper and computerized forms. The ramifications of this project are exciting to both professional botanists and amateur enthusiasts. Volunteers from the Native Plant Society of Oregon have been involved in this project from its inception.
Sunday morning, June 8th: The State Board meeting will begin at 9 A.M.
(All field trips leave from Camp Cascade.)
Trip 1. Opal Creek Wilderness. ALL DAY, MODERATE, 7 MILE ROUND TRIP. The trail follows Opal Creek into the heart of one of the last pristine areas in Oregon's Cascade Mountains. The Opal Creek watershed has been the center of a 25-year controversy, and only last fall received protection from logging activity through Congressional action, led by retiring Senator Mark Hatfield. Our trip through this classic ancient cathedral forest includes views of trees estimated to be 1000 years old, waterfalls, the old mining community of "Jawbone Flats" and lovely pools in Opal Creek, most notably, Opal Pool.
Trip 2. Kingston Prairie: HALF DAY, EASY. One of the newest Nature Conservancy preserves in Oregon, Kingston Prairie is the largest remnant of native prairie known to the central Willamette Valley. Its untilled soils harbor native plant species seldom seen elsewhere today. Among its rarities is a population of Bradshaw's lomatium (Lomatium bradshawii), the white topped aster (Aster curtus), and the Willamette Valley daisy (Erigeron decumbens var. decumbens). The Prairie is also home to one of the few remnants of red fescue (Festuca rubra) valley grassland known to still survive in the Willamette Valley. The site also harbors wet meadows dominated by native tufted hairgrass (Descharnpsia cespitosa). Both prairie types host a thriving diversity of native wildflowers including slender cinquefoil (Potentilla gracilis), meadow checker-mallow (Sidalcea campestris) and Camassia quamash and Camassia leichtlinii. The Western meadowlark, Oregon's state bird, nests at the Prairie.
Trip 3. Kingston Prairie and Santiam River Old Growth Remnant: ALL DAY, EASY, 2 MILE ROUND TRIP. This trip will visit Kingston Prairie (see trip 2) and continue on to a nearby remnant of low-elevation old growth fir, on the banks of the North Santiam River. The trip will include a look at "Bird Haven," an outstanding example of using biological control of insect pests by providing habitat for their predators -- nest boxes for swallows and roosts for bats.
Trip 4. Henline Mountain: FULL DAY, STRENUOUS, 6 MILE ROUND TRIP. The goal of this trip is a ridge near the top of Henline Mountain, and the special plants to be seen up there. Among them are: Fremont's silktassel (Garrya fremontii) and maidenhair spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes). The mountain is also home to a representative mountain flora as the trail passes through old growth Douglas fir, with beargrass and manzanita coloring the higher elevations. The fine view, extending beyond the Little North Santiam's forest-rimmed valley to Mt. Jefferson is an added reason to make the trip!
Trip 5. Mt. Horeb: FULL DAY, EASY, 1.5 MILE ROUND TRIP. The rocky ledges of Mt. Horeb provide a fine display of Cascade mountain flora including a large display of beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax). Two rather uncommon luinas are found here: silverback luina (Luina hypoleuca) and slender luina (L. stricta). Views of the North Santiam River Canyon below are other rewards.
Trip 6. Little North Fork River Trail: FULL DAY, MODERATE, 4 MILES. This trail along the south side of the Little North Fork River was constructed by volunteers from Salem to showcase a less well-known portion of the river's bank. Along the up-and-down streamside trail, hikers pass through mossy, old-growth forests and by hidden waterfalls. There is riparian flora as well as forest plants of the lower Cascade Mountains. This will be a one-way trip, using car shuttles to return to the trail head.
Trip 7. Henline Falls/Nearby Rock Cliffs: HALF-DAY, EASY, 0.5 MILE ROUND TRIP TO FALLS. The entrance to the old Silver King Mine occupies part of the rock wall under 60-foot Henline Falls. Access to the Falls is over the old mining road through a hemlock-fir forest. Weeping-wall plants can be seen near the Falls. A short cross-country scramble will take hikers to nearby rock cliffs that provide habitat for an outstanding display of rock plants.
Trip 8. Monument Peak: FULL DAY, EASY, 2 MILE ROUND TRIP. Monument Peak provides one of the better displays of the flora of the Cascade Mountains. Its great diversity results from its being a meeting ground for foothill and mountain species. Wet meadows below the Peak and the rocky habitat atop the summit provide excellent botanizing. The small-flowered penstemon (Penstemon procerus), mountain owl-clover (Orthocarpus imbricatus), tufted saxifrage (Saxifraga cespitosa) and the spotted saxifrage (S. bronchialis) all grace the summit area.
Trip 9. Silver Falls State Park: FULL DAY, MODERATE, 5 MILE ROUND TRIP. The crown jewel of the Oregon State Parks system, its ten waterfalls, streams and forest provide a great variety of native plant habitat. This trip will include weeping-wall plants near the waterfalls and the opportunity to see some unusual streamside plants such as Hall's isopyrum (Isopyrum hallii) and Scouler's corydalis (Corydalis scouleri).
Trip 10. Wildflowers for Photographers: FULL DAY, EASY. This trip will be geared to the special needs and interests of photographers and the trip site will be determined by where the most wildflowers are blooming, and are also easily accessible to photographers loaded down, as they often are, with camera gear and heavy tripods. The luxury of having time enough to properly photograph your specimen will be provided!
Trip 11. Wallace Hansen Native Plant Nursery/Martha Springer Botanical Garden: HALF DAY, EASY. The Hansen Nursery, east of Salem, specializes in the production of native Northwestern plants. Ample time will be allowed to tour the nursery. The Martha Springer Botanical Garden at Willamette University in Salem is a small, unique and colorful botanic garden and it includes several Oregon native plant habitats.
At their last meeting the Board of Directors of the NPSO awarded a grant to the Oregon Flora Project (which includes the Oregon Plant Atlas Project) to support project activities in 1997. The grant was especially important to us. It, along with contributions from a number of individual donors, has boosted the funds of the Flora project to the point that we are now able to hire a student part time to take over many aspects of managing the Atlas database. Over the past year a large portion of my time has been devoted to database management and I will now be able to spend much more time on other project activities. Thanks for your support!
The Jean Davis Memorial Fund is again offering a scholarship for the 1997-98 school year in the amount of $1000. This will be given to a full-time student enrolled in plant systemics or plant ecology in the state of Oregon. We are looking for undergraduates who have completed two years of college work.
To receive more information and an application, which must be submitted by May 1st, please write to: Harriet Schoppert, 11265 Phantom Lane SE, Stayton, OR 97383.
As the new chairperson of the Rare and Endangered Plants Committee, I wanted to update you on some issues concerning Oregon's rare plants. As most of you know, the state of Oregon has developed a commission to look into building more prisons in various locations across the state. Well, it appears that the state has overlooked a few environmental concerns, such as state listed plant species. Apparently this prison commission did not do any environmental assessment work, such as contacting ODA or ONHP, prior to selecting proposed sites. For example, they have proposed a prison site in the Medford area which includes populations of two state listed plant species, Lomatium cookei and Limanthes sp. The Siskiyou Chapter has written letters to Governor Kitzhaber and to Bob Meinke indicating its concerns. What is needed from the other chapters is to see if any new prison sites are being proposed in their areas, and to determine if there are any impacts on native plants. If there are any rare plant concerns, let Bob Meinke know.
I am also in the process of developing rare plant lists for each chapter, based on the 1995 edition of the ONHP list. These lists will include all List 1 species (rare or threatened throughout range). I should be able to get them out to chapters sometime this year. I am hoping chapters will use these lists to prioritize the species and begin conducting additional inventories, and/or monitoring them. With the recent changes in USFWS policy, we need to begin collecting more specific data regarding population trends, threats, etc. With state and federal agencies under tight budgets, it is time for groups such as NPSO to assist with this work. This kind of data will also help prepare proposals to add species to the candidate list, if and when necessary.
The Natural Areas Association will hold its 24th Annual Conference, August 27 - 30, 1997, in Portland, Oregon. The theme of "Bridging the Natural and Social Landscape" will challenge us to find areas of common ground and to form linkages between the natural and the cultural/socio-economic values of landscapes. We plan to re-assess the role of all kinds of natural areas in today's society and to examine the role they may play in the future.
The Conference will include symposia, contributed papers and poster sessions, field trips, social events and business meetings.
For information about the Conference and/or papers, write to: Natural Areas Association, ATTN: 1997 Conference Information, P0 Box 23712, Tigard, OR 97281-3712. Or, contact Kathleen Bergquist, Conference Coordinator, at kbconnor@ix.netcom.com.
In what's shaping up to be an ugly, multi-faceted battle over motorized use of Kalmiopsis Wilderness trails, miner/developers say they're planning to build a destination resort on 60 acres of patented mining claims straddling the Little Chetco River (tributary of the National Wild and Scenic Chetco) in the heart of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness. More recently, the owner of the claims says he now plans to log the land and wants a permit to haul the logs through the Wilderness. The Forest Service is preparing an environmental impact statement on a special use permit for motorized access to the patented Little Chetco mining claims. Scoping comments are urgently needed.
KALMIOPSIS WILDERNESS TRAILS AND RS 2477 PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY
The Little Chetco area is accessed by 12 miles of Wilderness trails which are also used as a primitive 4-wheel drive mining access road. The owner of the 60 acres of patented claims as well as 100 acres of unpatented claims, insists he has the "right" to the motorized use of these trails. He contends that he doesn't need a special use permit to access his patented claims, despite Forest Service regulations, because trails are public roads or rights of way by the authority of an obsolete law (1866) known as RS 2477.
WILDERNESS, WILD RIVERS AND WILD STEELHEAD AND SALMON
The Kalmiopsis is a wild, rugged 179,000 acre Wilderness in the Siskiyou Mountains of southwest Oregon. It has two National Wild and Scenic Rivers running through it (the Chetco and the Illinois). The Chetco supports critical runs of wild steelhead and cutthroat trout, and chinook and coho salmon. Steelhead and coho are proposed for listing under the Endangered Species Act. The Kalmiopsis also has two primitive bulldozed mining roads running through it. These roads serve as primary hiking trails. One trail goes to the Little Chetco River and the Alleman mining claims.
ROADS AND FATAL NON-NATIVE PORT ORFORD CEDAR ROOT DISEASE
About six years ago, a fatal, non-native root disease was introduced into the Kalmiopsis Wilderness in the area of the mining claims on the Little Chetco River. The pathogen, fatal to Port Orford cedar and Pacific yew, spreads from infected to uninfected areas by the transport of its spores trapped in the mud on the bottom of vehicles and on equipment. Once introduced into a drainage the disease can spread rapidly downstream and kill entire stands of Port Orford cedar. The cedar provides the primary streamside shade and large wood for many Kalmiopsis Wilderness streams, including the Little Chetco, and for sensitive plant wetlands. The Forest Service anticipates an increase in water temperature and other impacts from the loss of the riparian cedar on the Wild and Scenic Chetco River. As irreparable as the introduction of the root disease is, continued motorized use of the trail to the Little Chetco will cause even greater ecological havoc by spreading the root disease into the uninfected upper Wilderness watershed of the Chetco River.
ABUSES --1872 MINING LAW, WILDERNESS ACT AND FOREST SERVICE REGULATIONS
The Kalmiopsis miner/developers are attempting to define this struggle over motorized use of Wilderness trails as an infringement of their property rights. But the real issue here is that this "property" was acquired through a 150 year old law designed to facilitate mining in the 19th Century not real estate development, speculation or logging as is being attempted in the Kalmiopsis. The issue is that these 60 acres of patented mining claims are land and river preserved by an Act of Congress for "preservation and protection in their natural condition ... to secure for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of Wilderness" (Wilderness Act 1964). Furthermore, the mining provisions of the Wilderness Act were not meant to facilitate logging, motorized recreation and resort development.
The Little Chetco/Kalmiopsis Wilderness mining claims were purchased and patent applied for recently, almost 20 years after the Wilderness Act and with full knowledge of its access restrictions. The Forest Service (i.e. taxpayers) paid for the mineral exams recommending the patent and footed the before and after administrative costs. When the patents were granted in 1988, the American public was paid $2.50 per acre (price of placer claims under 1872 Mining Law) for their National Forest Wilderness river front property.
Five years later a plan was submitted to log the Little Chetco claims but access restrictions interfered. Then the root disease was introduced. In 1994 the owner offered to sell the patented claims back to the public for $850,000.00. In 1996, an associate of the owner announced to the local newspaper that he and others drove the Wilderness without authorization and the destination resort and public right-of-way angles surfaced.
The period for scoping comments formally ended on January 17, but the Forest Service will still accept comments, in light of the claim owners most recent proposal to haul logs through the Kalmiopsis Wilderness. Also send letters to your senator and congressperson. Send comment letters to: District Ranger, Illinois Valley Ranger District, 26568 Redwood Hwy., Cave Junction, OR 97523.
The Forest Service's proposed action would "allow motorized vehicular access over 12 miles of existing low-standard road within the Wilderness. The landowner would be responsible to maintain the road to standards ... established by the Forest Service during the analysis."
Write or e-mail the Siskiyou Project, P0 Box 220, Cave Junction, OR 97523; siskiyou@igc.apc.org to be on the mailing list for Kalmiopsis Action Alerts.
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© Copyright 1997 Native Plant Society of Oregon, All Rights Reserved
Last Modified February 25, 1997