The Wild Rogue Wilderness is a

wilderness area Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

surrounding the Wild and Scenic portion of the Rogue River in southwestern

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

, U.S. to protect the watershed. The wilderness was established in 1987 and now comprises . Because it spans part of the

Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest A rogue is a person or entity that flouts accepted norms of behavior. Rogue or rogues may also refer to: Companies * Rogue Ales, a microbrewery in Newport, Oregon * Rogue Arts, a film production company * Rogue Entertainment, a software co ...

as well as the Medford district of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Wild Rogue Wilderness is administered by both the BLM and the Forest Service.Rogue River Wilderness
- Rogue River-Siskiyou National ForestRogue River National Wild and Scenic River
- Bureau of Land Management

History

The lure of gold in the 1850s attracted many miners, hunters, and stocker raisers. Conflicts between white settlers and Native Americans culminated in the Rogue River Wars of 1855–56. After their defeat, Native Americans were taken to reservations. Mining remnants such as pipe, flumes, trestles, and stamp mills can still be found in the wilderness.

Expansion

Environmental groups are advocating for a expansion of the wilderness to spare old-growth forest from potential logging initiated by the BLM, as well as an addition of of streams to the Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The proposal has been introduced multiple times in the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washin ...

by Oregon's elected officials.

Management

The Wild Rogue Wilderness is unusual in that the management of the Wild and Scenic River permits

motorboat A motorboat, speedboat or powerboat is a boat that is exclusively powered by an engine. Some motorboats are fitted with inboard engines, others have an outboard motor installed on the rear, containing the internal combustion engine, the gea ...

operation and lodge construction for accommodation. This would not normally be allowed in a designated wilderness area.

Biology

Otters and

salmon Salmon () is the common name for several commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family Salmonidae, which are native to tributaries of the North Atlantic (genus ''Salmo'') and North Pacific (genus '' Oncorhy ...

, including

steelhead Steelhead, or occasionally steelhead trout, is the common name of the anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout or redband trout (O. m. gairdneri). Steelhead are native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific basin in Northeast Asia and ...

, inhabit the Rogue River within the wilderness, and black bears,

osprey The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...

s, and great blue herons feed on the fish. Lizards,

tick Ticks (order Ixodida) are parasitic arachnids that are part of the mite superorder Parasitiformes. Adult ticks are approximately 3 to 5 mm in length depending on age, sex, species, and "fullness". Ticks are external parasites, living by ...

s, and rattlesnakes can be found in grassy areas above the river.

Recreation

Popular recreation activities in the Wild Rogue Wilderness include hiking, camping, rock climbing, fishing, and whitewater rafting. The Rogue River is one of the most popular whitewater runs in the world because of a steady water level due to upstream

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

s, sunny summer weather, and scenic forests and steep canyons. There are several hiking trails in the Wild Rogue, including the Rogue River National Recreation Trail, the Panther Ridge Trail along the northern border of the wilderness, and the Mule Creek Trail on the BLM portion of the wilderness. The Blossom fire of 2005 destroyed some of the hiking trails, which were still closed at the end of 2007.

References

External links

Wild Rogue Wilderness
- Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest
Save the Wild Rogue
- Environmental group
"To save the Rogue River, its wilderness area must be expanded"
by Todd Weck and Chris Daughters, Eugene ''

Register-Guard ''The Register-Guard'' is a daily newspaper in the northwestern United States, published in Eugene, Oregon. It was formed in a 1930 merger of two Eugene papers, the ''Eugene Daily Guard'' and the ''Morning Register''. The paper serves the Eugene- ...

'', February 1, 2008
Wild Rogue Wilderness Area
- BLM page {{Authority control Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest Protected areas of Coos County, Oregon Protected areas of Curry County, Oregon Wilderness areas of Oregon Bureau of Land Management wilderness areas in Oregon 1987 establishments in Oregon Protected areas established in 1987