How You Can Help The Smith River Right Now:
An Opportunity to Acquire Private Timber Lands on Hurdygurdy Creek

June 13, 2007

Last week the U.S. Forest Service announced that they would use funds that they had received from another source to complete the acquisition of private timberlands in the Goose Creek watershed, a tributary of the South Fork of the Smith River. The Smith contains some of the best anadromous fish habitat in California.

This is great news for the resource and, of course for those that use it. It is also a demonstration of the success of our efforts! Since 2002, Smith River Alliance and others have been working to acquire the 9500 acres of private land within Goose Creek and add it to the Smith River National Recreation Area.

Hurdygurdy Creek in spring.
by Thomas Dunklin
With this purchase complete, another land acquisition opportunity for this watershed comes to the forefront. The Smith River Alliance has an option to purchase nearly 5400 acres of timberland on Hurdygurdy Creek, a tributary of the South Fork Smith and Siskiyou Fork, a tributary of the Middle Fork. Again, these are extremely important habitat for Smith River salmon, steelhead and resident trout. The cost of the acquisition is $4.5 million.

Senator Dianne Feinstein is the Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that will recommend to the full Senate where federal land acquisition money should be spent. She was a leading advocate for Goose Creek acquisition, but now with that project completed, we ask you to urge her to focus now on the opportunity on Hurdygurdy Creek and Siskiyou Fork. 

Please Write a Letter: Follow the instructions below on how to send a letter supporting these new Smith River acquisitions to Senator Feinstein concerning this new Smith River salmon and steelhead habitat protection effort.

Draft Letter to Senator Dianne Feinstein

SEND VIA FAX TO 202-228-3954

Hon. Dianne Feinstein, Chairman
Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies
United States Senate Committee on Appropriations
Washington, D.C. 20510 

Dear Chairman Feinstein, 

RE: FY2008 LWCF HURDYGURDY CREEK ACQISITION 

Thank you for your leadership over these last few years with the Goose Creek acquisition on the spectacular Smith River in northern California. As you know, the Forest Service has announced its plans to complete this project without need for any additional funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). 

Wild salmon populations are declining precipitously throughout California. Because the Smith River is our premier stronghold for salmon, steelhead and native trout -- I am urging you to request $4.5 million from LWCF for the purchase of the 5360-acre  Hurdygurdy Creek inholding within the Smith River National Recreation Area (NRA). 

Hurdygurdy Creek is one of the most productive salmon streams in the NRA. Hurdygurdy Creek provides a habitat refugium for wild salmon, steelhead, and coastal cutthroat trout. 

Protecting both Goose and Hurdygurdy Creeks is a critically important investment in the recovery of our native salmon species -- not only for the Smith River but for the Klamath River and our other coastal rivers as well. 

Thank you again for your leadership and assistance with the Goose acquisitions. By securing and protecting these last remaining inholdings such as Hurdygurdy Creek in the Smith River NRA, we are investing in the recovery of our wild salmon populations. 

Sincerely,

(your name)

Smith River Alliance
PO Box 2129
Crescent City, CA 95531

© 2004-2007 Smith River Alliance