FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Gordon Smith Feeling Pressure to Support Popular Protections for Rogue River

Oregon Wild Runs Radio Ads in Portland to Sway Senator

Radio ads call on listeners to urge Senator Smith to support protections for Oregon's Rogue River.

As members of Oregon’s Congressional delegation return home this week for their summer recess, one senator will be feeling the pressure to protect an Oregon treasure. The conservation group Oregon Wild is currently running radio ads in the Portland media market targeting Senator Smith for his reluctance to support protections for Oregon’s Rogue River. The ads point to the economic and wildlife benefits of the Rogue River and urge listeners to call Senator Smith’s Portland office asking him to support legislation that would protect the Rogue.

“This bill has support from every member of the Oregon delegation west of the Cascades including Senator Ron Wyden,” said Oregon Wild Wilderness Coordinator, Erik Fernandez. “People love the Rogue for its world-class fishing and rafting, protecting the river should be a no-brainer.”

The bill in question was introduced in June in both the House and the Senate. The legislation would designate over 140 miles of Rogue River tributaries as Wild and Scenic Rivers. The Rogue River is imminently threatened by logging and large parts of the watershed are included a plan that would increase old-growth logging by 700%.

The Rogue River has emerged as a driving force in the southern Oregon economy. A coalition of nearly 50 local and regional businesses has thrown its support behind further protections for the river.

“When you look at how important it is for the local economy to have the Rogue clean, pristine, and filled with healthy salmon runs, it really starts to make you scratch your head as to why Senator Smith won’t support protecting it,” added Steve Pedery, Conservation Director with Oregon Wild.

Many of the streams that feed the Rogue River emerge in the forested hillsides that surround the main stem. These old-growth forests protect the tributaries by filtering the water and keeping erosion from flushing down into the Rogue.

“Most Oregonians want the Rogue River fully protected,” added Fernandez. “Senator Smith always says he finds the common ground when it comes to protecting our environment. Making sure the Rogue stays an Oregon treasure is a good way for him to prove he means what he says.”

Listen to the ad here: http://www.oregonwild.org/wilderness/smith_rogue_ad.mp3

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