Smith River National Recreation Area

Six Rivers National Forest lies east of Redwood State and National Parks in northwestern California, and stretches southward from the Oregon border for about 140 miles. It encompasses 957,590 National Forest acres and 133,410 acres of other ownership. Smith River National Recreation Area and Orleans, Lower Trinity, and Mad River Ranger Districts make up the Forest. It forms a long, narrow swath of land, stretching from the Oregon border on the north to Mendocino County on the south. The Six Rivers National Forest was established by President Truman on June 3, 1947, from parts of the Siskiyou, Klamath and Trinity National Forests.

Smith River Alliance organized and led the campaign for establishment of the NRA. Since passage of the legislation in 1990, SRA has worked with the U.S. Forest Service to implement the Act. Specific projects have included acquisition and transfer into the NRA of the Hurdygurdy and Goose Creek inholdings (see below for details), removal of the Monkey Creek Dam, and work to secure protection of the North Fork in Oregon through designation as an “Outstanding Resource Water” and protection of in stream flows through the Oregon Water Resources Department.