KLAMATH FOREST ALLIANCE
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Wildlife
Roadless Areas |
| The Klamath region contains some of the most intact, wild, and remote roadless areas in the United States. The Klamath Forest Alliance believes that defending these roadless areas from logging, roadbuilding, mining and grazing is critical to preserving the health of the Klamath River and its cold water tributaries. We have fought hard for past wilderness designations, and will continue to advocate for permanent protection of existing roadless areas. Klamath National Forest There are over 400,000 acres of roadless areas in the Klamath National Forest that we have identified (See California Wilderness Coalition Siskiyou, Red Buttes, Marble Mountain, Russian and Trinity Alps Potential Wilderness Additions). These roadless areas contain some of the greatest diversity of tree and plant species in the world, and are the source of the Klamath's world class fishing and rafting opportunites. Six Rivers National Forest Nestled high above the Klamath drainage, are roadless areas that contain a lush variety of plant and animal species, and cover for species that live along the Western portion of the Klamath River. The Orleans Roadless Area, contains over 15,700 acres, and is home to rare orchids, salamanders, northern spotted owls, goshawks, fishers, martens, steelhead, chinook, and coho salmon. Shasta-Trinity National Forest Mount Shasta is the anchor for this forest, which spans from the Medicine Lake Highlands to the Trinity River. There are both high elevation and low elevation roadless areas that surround Mount Shasta, Shasta Lake, Trinity River and the Trinity Alps Wilderness Area. These roadless areas include the Castle Craigs, Mount Eddy, and Girard Ridge potential wilderness additions which are well known recreation destinations. Modoc National Forest Home to the Medicine Lake Highlands and Warner Mountain Wilderness Areas, Modoc National Forest has several large roadless areas. Over 269,265 acres have been mapped, including the Big Rattlesnake, Captain Jack, Lost River, Medicine Lake Highlands, and North & South Warner potential wilderness additions. These roadless areas include river basins and high elevation peaks of Hemlock, Mountain Mahogany and Lodgepole Pine. Klamath Basin The mountains and springs that form the headwaters of the Klamath Basin are the focus of roadless area protection for this area. Working with our partner groups in Oregon, we have successfully stopped ski area development on Pelican Butte, one of the largest Bald Eagle nesting areas in the Klamath Basin, and advocated for the creation of the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument. | 1. Scientific studies confirm that protecting roadless areas is the most effective way to preserve forest ecosystem, including clean water, salmon and wildlife. Roadless area protection reduces the need to list additional species under the Endangered Species Act. 2. Roadless areas haven't been roaded and logged for a reason. They are in the most remote, steep and unstable areas on the national forests. Road building and logging these areas will increase the potential for landslides. This harms water quality, threatening salmon and other aquatic species. 3. The last few years the Forest Service's timber sale program has lost hundreds million of dollars-much of it from the building of logging roads. Getting logs from remote roadless areas to the mill will means even greater losses (it costs an average of $30,000 a mile to build a road in these areas). Protecting roadless areas will result in a timber sale program with significantly lower losses to the US Treasury, and the US taxpayer. 4. Rural economies are increasingly comprised of industries and businesses for whom a healthy, clean and esthetically intact natural environment is either a necessity or a decided advantage. Protecting roadless areas from logging and road building will preserve key rural assets - scenic forests and clean water. 5. Because they are WILD! |
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