Kayakers paddle a stunning stretch of the North Fork Smith River in Oregon (Photo- Zachary Collier)

On March 11th, Oregon Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden reintroduced the Smith River National Recreation Area Expansion Act to add durable protections for the entire North Fork Smith watershed on the Oregon side of the border. Co-sponsored by California Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, the Expansion Act would increase the size of the Smith River National Recreation Area by 58,000 acres.

Smith River Alliance (SRA) has been instrumental in building and sustaining this bill’s groundswell of support from elected officials, conservation groups, local businesses, and regional chambers of commerce. Passing impactful legislation is a marathon not a sprint. However, renewed urgency for securing headwaters protection of the North Fork Smith River has come in the form of Executive Orders from the Trump Administration, along with persistent efforts from mining interests to pursue strip mining in the headwaters of the North Fork Smith and sister streams and rivers.

On January 20, 2025 Executive Order No. 14154, Unleashing American Energy was released. It directs the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture “to reassess any public land withdrawals for potential revision” with the aim of “restoring America’s Mineral Dominance.” And on February 3, Order No. 3418 from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum requires all Assistant Secretaries to prepare action plans to review and revise all withdrawn public lands consistent with existing law, including mineral withdrawal provisions of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and the Antiquities Act.

These Orders are not good news for the North Fork Smith River in Oregon, nor the headwaters of Hunter Creek, Pistol River, and Rough and Ready Creek, a tributary of the Wild and Scenic Illinois River!

The North Fork Smith in Oregon and all of the above listed streams and rivers are presently benefitting from a 101,000 acre 20-year mineral withdrawal issued in 2016. The Southwestern OR Watershed and Salmon Protection Act would make this mineral withdrawal permanent. This legislation was reintroduced in March 2025 by US Senators Wyden and Merkley as part of the Oregon Recreation Enhancement Act.

As we stated above, passing impactful legislation is a marathon! Please know we are in this until we get it done. Thank you for your support and be on the watch for updates. In the meantime, visit these rivers and streams!

Summer flows on the North Fork Smith River (Photo- Jon Parmentier)