Vulcan Lake and Vulcan Peak come into view near the start of the John and Lilla Leach Memorial Loop.

Smith River Alliance Field Biologist Vimal Golding celebrated Memorial Day weekend seeking backcountry solitude and a close encounter with unparalleled botanical diversity, with a long walk on the “John and Lilla Leach Memorial Loop.” This is the hike many of us think about, but few of us ever do it! The 50-mile route traverses the heart of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness and the headwaters of the Wild and Scenic Illinois, Chetco, and North Fork Smith Rivers. Departing from a trailhead high above the Chetco River, Vimal was rewarded with both outstanding scenery and notable flora. Read on for photos, more about the geologic and conservation history, and a few simple actions you can take to provide critical protections against the threat of strip mining in this extraordinary area.

The Making of One of the Earth’s Most Biologically Rich Temperate Landscapes 

190 million years ago, dense mantle rock rafted outward from a spreading seafloor. Where the emerging Pacific Plate met its continental counterparts, most was subducted beneath. Along its eastern margin, defiant rock thrust upward to form the primordial Klamath and Siskiyou Mountains. A more recent overlay known as the “Josephine Ophiolite” contained rocks fortified with toxic concentrations of magnesium, iron, nickel, and chromium. Fusing on to the North American Plate, the ophiolite added 300 square miles to a growing continent.

Ongoing tectonic and erosional forces lifted peaks, carved watersheds, and overlaid the land with a shallow soil layer. Through the millennia, mutation and selection introduced a novel assemblage of fungi, conifers, and flowering plants capable of colonizing the austere habitat. On higher inland ranges, glaciers advanced and retreated as the low-elevation ophiolite remained ice-free. By 9,000 years ago, ancestors of the Chetco and Tolowa peoples were hunting, foraging, and fishing the forests and rivers of one of Earth’s most biologically rich temperate landscapes.

Bear grass (Xerophyllum tenax, related to lilies and not actually a grass) blooms on the austere soils of the Josephine Ophiolite.

Fast-forward to June of 1930. Travelling through the Josephine Ophiolite on primitive trails, botanical explorers Lilla and John Leach were stopped in their tracks by a strange and wonderful member of the heath family (Ericaceae). Although superficially resembling bog laurel (Kalmia polifolia), Lilla collected a sample, suspecting they had encountered an undescribed species. Peer review concluded that this was indeed a heath, but an ice age relic of ancient origin, different enough to deserve its own genus. Naming the plant in the couple’s honor, botanical literature formally described Kalmiopsis leachiana in 1932, a species that occurred nowhere else in the world. Inspired by this discovery, Lilla and John became lifelong champions for the region’s preservation.

Kalmiopsis leachiana is endemic to its namesake region, occurring nowhere else on Earth.

In 1946 the US Forest Service invoked administrative protection for a 78,850-acre “Kalmiopsis Wild Area”. With the passage of the 1964 Wilderness Act, the Area became one of 54 inaugural units in the National Wilderness Preservation System. The Endangered American Wilderness Act of 1978 expanded the Kalmiopsis Wilderness to its present 179,850 acres. Surrounded by roadless areas indistinguishable from the Wilderness itself, the Kalmiopsis remains Oregon’s most ecologically intact wildland complex, including pristine headwaters feeding the Wild and Scenic Illinois, Chetco, and North Fork Smith Rivers.

Unique geology, biota, and wild rivers make this region both special and vulnerable. Only a fraction of its land and waterways benefit from lasting protection against mines, dams, and other inappropriate developments. The strange and wonderful Kalmiopsis wildland complex deserves better…and you can help!

The distant Siskiyou crest is visible from high above the headwaters of the North Fork Smith River.

Take Action:

Oregon Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden have introduced legislation to expand the Smith River National Recreation Area to include the entirety of the (58,000-acre) North Fork Smith headwaters. The Smith River National Recreation Area Expansion Act is co-sponsored by California Senator Alex Padilla. Val Hoyle (OR-04) and Jared Huffman (CA-02) have introduced a companion bill in the US House of Representatives.

Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley have also introduced the Southwestern Oregon Watershed and Salmon Protection Act (SOWSPA). This legislation protects the headwaters of a cluster of salmon stronghold rivers by withdrawing new mining claim eligibility on federal lands within the Pistol River, Hunter Creek, the North Fork Smith River, and Rough and Ready Creek which is tributary of Illinois River. Congresswoman Val Hoyle and Congressman Jared Huffman have advanced companion legislation in the US House of Representatives.

The Smith River National Recreation Area Expansion Act and SOWSPA enjoy broad support across southwestern Oregon, northern California, as well as regionally and nationally. Specific support comes from Curry and Del Norte Counties, water purveyors, sports and commercial fishermen and affiliated organizations, Chambers of Commerce, recreation and environmental organizations, and tens of thousands of citizens. Please add your voice by emailing or calling your US Senator or Representative and asking that these bills are included in any public lands packages advanced during this Congress.

Support stewardship and advocacy for the greater Smith River / Wild Rivers region by signing up to volunteer and joining (or renewing your membership) with a tax-deductible donation to Smith River Alliance.

Speaking of help and stewardship, special thanks to the Siskiyou Mountain Club for their outstanding work on the John and Lilla Leach Memorial Loop Trail. Their work made Vimal’s hike possible.