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The Salmon River is a key migration route between the Marble Mountain, Trinity Alps, Russian, and Siskiyou Wilderness Areas. This is one of the wildest places in the lower 48 states and is currently threatened with thousands of acres of logging. Through the Knob and Glassups Timber Sales - and now the Meteor - the Klamath National Forest aims to liquidate much of the remaining low elevation ancient forest on both forks of the Salmon River.
The Salmon River is a critical source of clean, cold water to the beleaguered Klamath River watershed, where thousands of salmon and other fish died due to reduced flows and high water temperatures. A recent study by the National Academy of Sciences on the Klamath River calls for restricting logging in the cool streams that feed the Salmon River.
The Meteor Timber Sale began as the Comet Administrative Study, a 1,880 acre timber sale to "study" the effects of logging in an ancient forest on old growth dependant species. The Forest Servic changed the purpose of the study when the Bush Administration began loosening the requirements to protect species that rely on ancient forest habitat. The Comet then became the Knob and Meteor Timber Sales.
EPIC, the Klamath Forest Alliance, and Klamath-Siskiyou Wildands Center are challenging the Knob Timber Sale in federal court, and need your help to block the disastrous Meteor. The majestic Salmon River is much too precious to lose, and the Forest Service must know that citizens from across the state and nation demand its protection. Please write the Klamath National Forest today and urge them to deny the Meteor Timber Sale and to protect the Salmon River and these ancient forests. Key issues on the logging sale are below.
Comments must be submitted by December 21, 2003. For more information about the Meteor Timber Sale, contact Lynda Karns, Klamath National Forest, (503) 841-4469.
You can download a copy of the draft Environmental Impact Report on the Meteor at:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/klamath/projects/projects/meteor/index.shtml
Key issues regarding the Meteor Timber Sale include:
* Wild and Scenic Corridors, loss of recreational values: In both the Knob and Meteor, logging would occur within the designated Wild and Scenic corridors of the North Fork of the Salmon River, which is renowned for its world-class, whitewater recreation.
* Cumulative impacts on listed species: Through all the current Salmon River sales, much of the critical spotted owl habitat - outside of Late Successional Reserves - would be removed on the two forks of the river. The sales target much of the remaining low elevation ancient forests in the district and would affect all old growth dependent species in the area.
* Cumulative watershed impacts: Much of the Knob and Meteor are in landslide-prone decomposed granitic soils, and many units are directly along the river or in riparian reserves. Also, the Salmon River provides a critical source of cold water to the Klamath River, which supports the most productive chinook salmon fishery in California and also hosts coho salmon, green sturgeon and other critically imperiled fish species.
* Increased fuels risk: The logging units in the Meteor target the largest, most fire-resistant trees on the Salmon River and in many cases would leave only the fine fuels behind. The Forest service should be focusing on protecting communities from fire - not creating a more fire-prone landscape by removing all of the large trees in a remote area.