Grant Werschkull, the Smith River Alliance Co-Executive Director, will be providing testimony to Congress this week on the importance of expanding protections for the headwaters of the Smith River North Fork in Oregon.
The House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands will hold a hearing on May 11th for the Smith River National Recreation Area Expansion Act (H.R. 7329).
“The expansion of the Smith River National Recreation Area to include the watershed in Oregon has strong and broad support,” said Grant Werschkull, Co-Executive Director for Smith River Alliance. “This action is vitally important to Curry and Del Norte Counties, downstream communities, water providers, and salmon and steelhead. We are deeply grateful to Congressman Jared Huffman for his leadership on this critically important legislation.”
The Smith River National Recreation Expansion Act will expand the Smith River National Recreation Area into Oregon by 58,000 acres and designate 75 miles of North Fork Smith River tributaries as Wild and Scenic Rivers, a move that would protect the diverse ecosystems of the entire watershed.
You can read the full Smith River National Recreation Area Expansion Act here H.R. 7329.
You can watch the complete live broadcast on YouTube Wednesday, May 11 at 11:00 a.m. (PDT).