Haugen also claims Babbitt s order violated an obscure Oregon state law. The commissioners claim mining is an integral part of the history of Josephine County. But it s a history steeped in genocide, discrimination and destruction of land, and not one to be proud of or perpetuated. Many raw scars of early mining still remain in the Siskiyou. More recent mines are littered with debris and rusting equipment.
Reclamation is nonexistent.
Siskiyou miners are often more interested in a free ride or mining the pockets of investors or the public. It s time to break the 150-year dominance mining has held over the public lands of the Siskiyou Wild Rivers area and permanently protect all that s left. While mineral values are marginal and contribute little to the economy of the area and Oregon, the spectacular free-flowing rivers, the wild fish, the rare plants and the vast expanses of wild watersheds are priceless, and will become even more so to our children and their children. With their tributaries, they are some of the most valuable salmon and steelhead habitat in the United States. In addition, the area is one of the most botanically diverse forests in North America.