Pacific Rivers Council writes:
.. the Illinois River’s salmon, steelhead, and trout runs are of native, wild origin and may be among the most genetically intact of any major populations in the Pacific Northwest.
Read more about the Illinois River and Sucker Creek at their website or at Rogue Riverkeeper.
Instream mining concentrated in the Illinois Basin - The Illinois Basin also holds the dubious honor of having one of the highest concentration of mining claims in Oregon. A 2002 analysis of suction dredge mining on the Siskiyou National Forest found there were approximately 577 mining claims located along streams or rivers on the Forest. Seventy-eight percent were in the Illinois Basin. This is also where almost 70% of all suction dredge mining in Western Oregon occurs.
Mining operations target low-gradient spawning reaches - The Forest Service estimates that there is some form of mining on approximately 3% of the total perennial stream miles on the Forest. This may sound like a small percentage, but miners target low-gradient reaches, which are limited in area and number in stream systems. The low-gradient reaches are where gold tends to settle out but are also precisely where much of the spawning and rearing of wild salmon, steelhead, and cutthroat trout takes place. Successful reproduction requires exacting conditions, so one would think that these highly sensitive, low-gradient stretches of stream should receive the highest level of protection --but they do not.
Instream mining concentrated in the Illinois Basin - The Illinois Basin also holds the dubious honor of having one of the highest concentration of mining claims in Oregon. A 2002 analysis of suction dredge mining on the Siskiyou National Forest found there were approximately 577 mining claims located along streams or rivers on the Forest. Seventy-eight percent were in the Illinois Basin. This is also where almost 70% of all suction dredge mining in Western Oregon occurs.
Mining operations target low-gradient spawning reaches - The Forest Service estimates that there is some form of mining on approximately 3% of the total perennial stream miles on the Forest. This may sound like a small percentage, but miners target low-gradient reaches, which are limited in area and number in stream systems. The low-gradient reaches are where gold tends to settle out but are also precisely where much of the spawning and rearing of wild salmon, steelhead, and cutthroat trout takes place. Successful reproduction requires exacting conditions, so one would think that these highly sensitive, low-gradient stretches of stream should receive the highest level of protection --but they do not.
As Forest Service and BLM spokespersons recently revealed to the Oregonian, the agencies really know how many active mining operations there are on a given stream because they don't track the mining unless there's a complaint. The agencies' failure to manage mining is a result of the Bush Administration's deregulation of what they call small scale mining operations, including mining operations in the most critical segments of a stream for the successful reproduction of salmon and steelhead. See further discussion on the Bush Administration's reversal of Clinton era measures to provide greater protection for stream and rivers from the direct effects of mining. Silver Creek is study in why this matters.
The Silver Creek case study - A good case study is Silver Creek, one of the most productive of the Illinois River's tributaries. There are 325 perennial stream miles in its ~ 50,000 acre watershed. Spawning-ground counts conducted for the Forest Service identified about 11 miles of the mainstem of Silver Creek as the principle low-gradient spawning reach for the whole system. This 11 mile reach is 3% of the total stream miles in the watershed. It's also where almost all the mining claims on Silver Creek are concentrated. Mining on this part of Silver Creek was curtailed in the mid 1990's. The 1998 spawning-ground surveys found 37 steelhead redds (nests) on about one mile of the mainstem.
Why the Illinois River Basin's wild fisheries are important - The Illinois Basin salmon, steelhead and cutthroat trout are naturally reproducing. They are entirely dependent on fresh water stream habitat to reproduce and rear before migrating to the Pacific, where they find increasingly harsh and unstable conditions. Both Pacific Rivers Council and the Wild Salmon Center have identified the Illinois River Basin as a wild salmon "stronghold" or legacy river.
NOAA Fisheries writes that:
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's Rogue Basin Management Plan from the 1990's concluded that the "bulk of the wild coho salmon in the Rogue Basin, spawned in the Illinois River Basin."
USDA Forest Service Watershed Analysis state that,
The Silver Creek case study - A good case study is Silver Creek, one of the most productive of the Illinois River's tributaries. There are 325 perennial stream miles in its ~ 50,000 acre watershed. Spawning-ground counts conducted for the Forest Service identified about 11 miles of the mainstem of Silver Creek as the principle low-gradient spawning reach for the whole system. This 11 mile reach is 3% of the total stream miles in the watershed. It's also where almost all the mining claims on Silver Creek are concentrated. Mining on this part of Silver Creek was curtailed in the mid 1990's. The 1998 spawning-ground surveys found 37 steelhead redds (nests) on about one mile of the mainstem.
Why the Illinois River Basin's wild fisheries are important - The Illinois Basin salmon, steelhead and cutthroat trout are naturally reproducing. They are entirely dependent on fresh water stream habitat to reproduce and rear before migrating to the Pacific, where they find increasingly harsh and unstable conditions. Both Pacific Rivers Council and the Wild Salmon Center have identified the Illinois River Basin as a wild salmon "stronghold" or legacy river.
NOAA Fisheries writes that:
"Illinois River winter steelhead are generally considered to be the best remaining example in Oregon of an indigenous, 'wild' steelhead run."See NOAA Fisheries status review for Illinois River winter steelhead.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's Rogue Basin Management Plan from the 1990's concluded that the "bulk of the wild coho salmon in the Rogue Basin, spawned in the Illinois River Basin."
USDA Forest Service Watershed Analysis state that,
"Illinois River anadromous fisheries are the stronghold for wild anadromous fish repopulations in the Rogue Basin."Given the superlative values of the Illinois River and its tributaries for wild salmon and steelhead fisheries, it is outrageous that the Mining Law of 1872 along with Bush Administration amendments make it so difficult for public agencies to manage and keep tabs on mining in this critically important wild salmon stronghold.
