Copper Salmon Wilderness
Encyclopedia
The Copper Salmon Wilderness is a protected wilderness area in the Southern Oregon Coast Range
and is part of the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest. The wilderness area was created by the Omnibus Public Land Management Act
of 2009, which was signed into law by President
Barack Obama
on March 30, 2009.
The Copper Salmon Wilderness is located along the North and South Forks of Elk River
and the upper Middle Fork of Sixes River
.
The area contains one of the nation's largest remaining stands of low-elevation old-growth forest and one of the healthiest salmon
, steelhead, and cutthroat trout
runs in the continental United States along the north Fork of the Elk River, as well as stands of vulnerable Port Orford cedar and endangered marbled murrelet
s and northern spotted owl
s.
Southern Oregon Coast Range
The Southern Oregon Coast Range is the southernmost section of the Oregon Coast Range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges, located in the southwest portion of the state of Oregon, United States roughly between the Umpqua River and the middle fork of the Coquille River, beyond which are the Klamath...
and is part of the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest. The wilderness area was created by the Omnibus Public Land Management Act
Omnibus Public Land Management Act
The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 is a law passed in the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 30, 2009.-110th Congress:...
of 2009, which was signed into law by President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
on March 30, 2009.
The Copper Salmon Wilderness is located along the North and South Forks of Elk River
Elk River (Oregon)
The Elk River is in southwestern Oregon in the United States. Approximately 25 miles long, the river drains a remote area of the Coastal Range into the Pacific Ocean....
and the upper Middle Fork of Sixes River
Sixes River
The Sixes River is a river, approximately 30 mi long, in southwestern Oregon in the United States. It drains a rugged region of the Coastal Range along the Pacific coast south of Coos Bay....
.
The area contains one of the nation's largest remaining stands of low-elevation old-growth forest and one of the healthiest salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
, steelhead, and cutthroat trout
Cutthroat trout
The cutthroat trout is a species of freshwater fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. It is one of the many fish species colloquially known as trout...
runs in the continental United States along the north Fork of the Elk River, as well as stands of vulnerable Port Orford cedar and endangered marbled murrelet
Marbled Murrelet
The Marbled Murrelet is a small seabird from the North Pacific. It is a member of the auk family. It nests in old-growth forests or on the ground at higher latitudes where trees cannot grow...
s and northern spotted owl
Northern Spotted Owl
The Northern Spotted Owl, Strix occidentalis caurina, is one of three Spotted Owl subspecies. A Western North American bird in the family Strigidae, genus Strix, it is a medium-sized dark brown owl sixteen to nineteen inches in length and one to one and one sixth pounds. Females are larger than males...
s.
See also
- List of Oregon Wildernesses
- List of U.S. Wilderness Areas
- List of old growth forests
- Wilderness ActWilderness ActThe Wilderness Act of 1964 was written by Howard Zahniser of The Wilderness Society. It created the legal definition of wilderness in the United States, and protected some 9 million acres of federal land. The result of a long effort to protect federal wilderness, the Wilderness Act was signed...