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Ancient forest on the South Fork Smith River
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Ancient tree saved by the Smith River Project.
click on photo for details & larger view
This photo, taken after logging was completed, illustrates
the Smith River Project’s success saving dozens of ancient trees along
the river.
click on photo for details & larger view
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Focus On Habitat
Last year, The Smith River Project protected old-growth forests that
covered half a mile of the South Fork Smith River, the first private land
downstream of the Siskiyou Wilderness.
An inholding earmarked for protection by the Smith River Project covers
80-acres near the confluence of the North Fork Smith River and its sole roadless tributary, Stony Creek. The North Fork is the most pristine of the Smith
River's three main branches, boasting the highest density of native plants
in North America. The Stony Creek parcel is inaccessible by road, and
contains 40 acres of old growth Douglas fir forest and six acres of rare
Port Orford cedar. Check back for more updates on the Stony Creek area.
Past Successes, Future Goals
The need for a Smith River Inholding Enhancement Program increased dramatically
in 1999 when a 35-acre parcel on the South Fork Smith River became available
for purchase. Despite efforts by the Smith River Project and others to
buy the inholding, the land went to Laurence Kluck.
Kluck, a Eureka attorney later submitted a timber harvest plan (THP)
to the California Department of Forestry which indicated Kluck's intention
to clear-cut half a mile of ancient riverfront forest, despite the evidence
that it provided the best protection for some of the South Fork's most
productive upstream spawning habitats. The Smith River National Recreation
Area holds vast tracts of ancient Douglas fir forest anchored by the trees
of this private riverside "plug" acquired by Kluck.
For many months before and after Kluck submitted his timber harvest plan,
the Smith River Project negotiated with him to acquire the land. Kluck
eventually "signed on" to become a "willing seller"
of the land, and even wrote a letter to the Paul G. Allen Forest Protection
Foundation stating his intention to sell the land intact to the Smith
River Project.
Kluck responded to pressure generated by the Smith River Project, residents
of the Smith River watershed, two environmental attorneys, and interested
individuals within the Klamath-Siskiyou region. We also alerted the National
Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which
demanded surveys of the land to study the impact on threatened species
including salmonids and spotted owls.
However, on Memorial Day Weekend 2000, Kluck secretly began logging the
beautiful riverside grove. While loggers leveled several 350-year-old
Douglas fir trees, Smith River Project Executive Director Greg King called
every state and federal agency with a stake in the logging, starting with
Ken Hoffman at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Hoffman had promised
to call King as soon as Kluck turned in his required spotted owl survey
results. The federal biologist was stunned to learn that logging had commenced,
as he had not received any survey results from Kluck. The logging was
illegal, said Hoffman, and for the next two days King pressured officials
at the California Department of Forestry to halt logging activity. Remarkably,
the state did so, and issued Kluck a notice of violation for failing to
submit wildlife survey results. Efforts by the Smith River Project published
Kluck's crime, and the state government's complicity in it, on the front
pages of the Eureka Times-Standard and the San Francisco Examiner.
One week later, Kluck was allowed to resume logging. But possibly fearing
action by the California State Bar Association for unethical and illegal
actions, Kluck's logging diminished in scope. A selection cut was made
instead of a clear cut, which preserved dozens of large ancient conifers
including every tree within 300 feet of the river. Kluck has since agreed
to sell the land to a neighbor who cooperates with the goals of the Smith
River Project. This individual seeks to raise $200,000 to purchase this
vital inholding, and protect it permanently.
Your donation of any size will help the Smith River
Project buy more land like this vital inholding that
is so important in protecting the river.
Please click here to learn more about making
a contribution today!
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