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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Helman students illustrate kindness, love Newly renovated Ashland Hills hosts open house SOU's 'Count Me In' campaign raises $210,000 Aquatics backer announces write-in candidacy for Parks & Rec board Hot Stuff Espresso Education Helman students illustrate kindness, love SOU's 'Count Me In' campaign raises $210,000 Fun, fundraising and art at Helman Elementary School Ashland mourns death of former coach Stan Gida Goal not reached, but don't count out 'Count Me In' yet Environment Rite Aid cub well, could come back to southern Oregon Report: Smaller streams need further protection Bear cub wanders into Rite Aid Kalmiopsis' future at stake if mining goes forward Fires and forests evolved together, but now people are in the mix Business Newly renovated Ashland Hills hosts open house Hot Stuff Espresso Blue Toba erupts onto dining scene Interim president leads in a different direction Silvio Calabi: Acura’s 2015 TLX is two cars in one Politics and elections Aquatics backer announces write-in candidacy for Parks & Rec board Richardson accuses Kitzhaber of 'corruption' in final debate Stricker steps down from Talent council Merkley-Wehby to debate in Medford Ashland land use rule review continues State News Nation - World Obituaries Ronald J. 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Our View: Cheering Ashland's own ... Granlund cartoon: New York Ebola ... 10 things to know for Friday ... Our View: Cheering Ashland's own ... WILD SIDE Kalmiopsis' future at stake if mining goes forward By Joseph Vaile DailyTidings.com By Joseph Vaile Posted Oct. 21, 2014 @ 2:30 pm Updated Oct 21, 2014 at 2:39 PM By Joseph Vaile Posted Oct. 21, 2014 @ 2:30 pm Updated Oct 21, 2014 at 2:39 PM » RELATED CONTENT • Wilderness successes could be lost if funding not restored • Fires and forests evolved together, but now people are in... • Getting away from — and back into — it all • Desolate beauty » Social News We hit a patch of snow along the steep, winding road, making our route nearly impassable. We were determined. This was the third time my friend Zach had attempted to reach a remote river deep in the Kalmiopsis wildlands. Since we first heard this piece of the Siskiyou backcountry was threatened with industrial mining, we had extra motivation to access and document the little-known Baldface Creek. We jumped out of the four-wheel drive Dodge into a slush of snow. We shoveled tracks big enough for truck tires. After a few failed attempts, we finally made it. But it wasn't long before we hit another huge patch. We stopped the truck, hopped out, grabbed our packs, and started hiking. This was an extreme expedition. I was taking a photographer and a professional guide into one of the most remote areas in North America. We headed west from Obrien, Ore., just south of Cave Junction on Highway 199. If you have ever driven to the Oregon or California Coast this way, you’ll remember the curvy drive along the banks of the Smith River. We were headed to the headwaters of the Smith River. The plan was to hike for a day with pack rafts — very small inflatable kayaks that are light enough to carry on your back. Then for two days they would descend Baldface Creek , a remote salmon-spawning tributary to the North Fork Smith River. I would hike back out and drop the truck off with a fellow named Barefoot Brad, who would finish the shuttle, picking up the paddlers on the North Fork Smith. As we hiked, it seemed unreal that this area was proposed for industrial mining. I was explaining to Zach that the 1872 Mining Law is still on the books and gives mining companies nearly unfettered access to mine on public lands — treasured lands owned by all Americans. Without protections for the land, companies mine at great taxpayer expense and leave a legacy of pollution in their wake. This happened recently near Riddle, Ore. , about 24 miles south of Roseburg, where a nickel strip mine was abandoned and the $11 million clean up cost was shouldered by the taxpayers. In this case, a foreign investment firm is bankrolling the setup costs and the exploratory work for Red Flat Nickel to stake claims on thousands of acres in the headwaters of the Smith River along the Oregon/California border region and the Pistol River near Gold Beach. There have been other attempts to mine for nickel in the Kalmiopsis country. Some have failed, but one remains on the books along Rough and Ready Creek in Josephine County.  The Smith River and the adjacent wild rivers country are home to some of the most spectacular river drainages in the world. Rare plants, rugged ridgelines, and sparse forests define this region. The place is other-worldly. The odd plants evolved with soils toxic to most other plants; these same soils also have a fair amount of nickel content. I said my goodbyes and started to hike back toward one of the most massive slopes to the parked Dodge, but I stopped for a second and looked at the creek. The water looks like glass. Whether it’s one foot or 10 feet, you can see to the bottom of the creek and the blue-green rocks make the water appear emerald in color. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.  Climbing up the slope the view of the horizon — the wild Kalmiopsis — goes on forever. It is one of the most remote areas on the West Coast, producing some of the clearest, cleanest water anywhere. I think to myself, “this water and this place are so special, they are national treasures. How could we possibly allow them to become developed nickel mines?” Under the shade of a Jeffery pine tree I looked off in the distance and imagined the future of the wild Kalmiopsis. Joseph Vaile is executive director of the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center (KS Wild, 541-488-5789, www.kswild.org ). His Wild Side column appears every three weeks. By Joseph Vaile DailyTidings.com By Joseph Vaile Posted Oct. 21, 2014 @ 2:30 pm Updated Oct 21, 2014 at 2:39 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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