Senators push for California recreation area’s expansion to Oregon

On Tuesday, Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley and Sen. Ron Wyden re-introduced a law that would add another 58,000 acres to what is known as the Smith River National Recreation Area — extending the Northern California site beyond the Beaver State’s southern border.

The Smith River Alliance reports that the recreation area currently spans more than 950,000 acres of the Six Rivers National Forest, and more than 130,000 acres of land owned by other entities.

According to Merkley and Wyden, Congress established Smith River as a national recreation area to conserve its watershed in 1990 — but the protected area stopped at the North Fork Smith River at Oregon’s border. Plants and animals like Coho salmon, Chinook salmon and coastal cutthroat trout all reside in this portion.

The senators are arguing that adding another 74 miles to the national area would help protect wildlife in more places like Baldface Creek and Chrome Creek, as well as benefit the local fishing and recreation industries. The U.S. Forest Service would also be required to develop a new recreation plan for the additional space.

“Expanding the Smith River National Recreation Area would protect one of our state’s most iconic treasures and generate both recreation jobs and economic benefits for Southern Oregon from visitors eager to fish, hunt, camp and hike in the area,” Sen. Wyden said in a release. “The fact that this legislation has secured such broad-based support in Oregon reflects its many benefits, and I’m all in to get this bill across the finish line.”

This isn’t Wyden’s first attempt at advancing the expansion. In 2022, both he and Merkley celebrated a Senate Committee’s approval of the act. California’s Sen. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff have additionally backed the proposal this year.