Partnering with B.L.M. and others to complete restoration work on W. Fork of the Smith River

Oregon's Smith river is currently slated as "Forestry Emphasis" in Sen. Ron Wyden's proposed O&C Legislation.  Trout Unlimted has remained engaged with the Senator and his staff in trying to make improvements to the bill.  One of the areas we've requested changes to is in the Smith River watershed.  We've asked the Senator to make the Smith River a "key watershed" that would still allow for timber harvest, but keep riparian buffers that protect this amazing watershed and its cold water fishes.  

Over the past twenty years, millions of dollars have been invested from a variety of organziations to repair years of industrial logging in the Smith River watershed.  Those restoration efforts are starting to pay big dividends. 

The B.L.M. (and others) have worked hard to make improvements to the Smith and its tributaries by placing large woody debris and placing large rock "weir's" in the stream to improve habitat for the Salmon, Steelhead and Trout that call the Smith home.

T.U. volunteers and others worked hard in a cold, wet, Oregon rain storm today to plant hundreds of willows and conifers that will grow and provide shade to cool the river in the warm summer months, as well as help stabilize soils that were disturbed by the heavy equipment needed to creat these rock weirs.  

Tomorrow we'll be back at it, planting more tree's along the river banks of one of Oregon's best salmon and steelhead streams.