Threats to California?s wildest watershed
The Smith River is California?s wildest watershed ? the last remaining undammed major river in the state. The Smith is the fourth-largest coastal river in California, it?s among the world?s cleanest rivers, and it contains more miles of federally designated ?Wild and Scenic River? area than any other U.S. watershed. The Smith River is therefore, not surprisingly, home to the state?s healthiest salmon and steelhead populations, possibly the healthiest in the lower United States. The Smith River is so biologically significant that the Institute for River Ecosystems at Humboldt State University has identified the watershed as a ?re-colonization? source for Endangered Species in impaired watersheds up and down the California-Oregon coast ? a designation that takes on heightened importance in light of the recent and tragic Klamath River fish kill.
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A common sight in Smith River, announcing another application of the carcinogen 1,3-Dichloropropene. Photo: Greg King
