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Years of hard work came to fruition when the passage of the Frank and Jeanne Moore Wild Steelhead Special Management Area (we fondly call it the Moore Wild Steelhead Sanctuary), was signed into law March 12, 2019 as part of the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management and Recreation Act.
Steamboat Creek is a groundwater fed stream, which keeps the creek’s waters cool, affording steelhead refuge during the hot summer months. The law directs the Forest Service to manage 99,653 acres of the watershed as a thermal refuge for steelhead, in honor of Frank and Jeanne’s lifelong stewardship of the fish and botanical bounty of the North Umpqua. Here’s the story of how this law came to be. Steamboat Creek has long been known as the primary producer of the North Umpqua’s world-famous summer-run steelhead, and its cold waters are a critical part of why this stream is so important. |
Frank and Jeanne Moore, whose tireless advocacy and leadership led to Congressional designation of the Wild Steelhead Sanctuary on Steamboat Creek in 2019.
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Steelhead in Big Bend Pool on Steamboat Creek.
Photo by George Ostertag. |
Nevertheless, the watershed was heavily logged throughout much of the 20th century, causing widespread damage to the ecosystem and its fish runs. Much of this destruction was documented in the 1968 film “Pass Creek,” which was produced by Frank and his friends in order to spur reform of forest practices and ensure the survival of steelhead.
In 1988, we helped protect the North Umpqua under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, which included a “no dams on Steamboat Creek” provision to protect the steelhead that inhabit this tributary. But we realized that we needed to do more than just keep dams from being built. As Frank recognized in the ‘60s, to protect a river, we need to change how the watershed was being managed. |
Our work helping develop the Aquatic Conservation Strategy of the Northwest Forest Plan in the early ‘90’s resulted in Steamboat Creek being designated a “Key Watershed,” which guides federal forest management activities to protect spawning and rearing habitat for steelhead and salmon. But these administrative protections are not permanent, and will likely be changed during forest plan revisions, which are currently underway. During the debate over the future of the Oregon and California Lands (O&C Lands), we saw an opportunity to permanently protect Steamboat Creek and honor living legends and lifelong stewards of the North Umpqua, Frank and Jeanne Moore. We teamed up with the Wild Salmon Center and worked with Senator Ron Wyden and Representative Peter DeFazio to craft the bill that designates the watershed as a “Special Management Unit” and directs the Forest Service to manage the watershed as a thermal refuge for steelhead. We expanded our conservation coalition to include Trout Unlimited and the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe, did the necessary outreach to neighboring forestland owners and nearby communities and produced a film to help spread the work and earn the support needed to get the bill introduced and passed.
Permanent protection for special places doesn’t happen quickly. In the case of Steamboat Creek, its taken decades. We were inspired by Frank and Jeanne, who have spent their lives working to protect the place they call home. Persistence, patience and hard work. That’s what it takes. Thank you Frank and Jeanne. And thank you Senator Wyden and Congressman DeFazio for your personal attention on this bill and your hard work getting it passed into law.
Permanent protection for special places doesn’t happen quickly. In the case of Steamboat Creek, its taken decades. We were inspired by Frank and Jeanne, who have spent their lives working to protect the place they call home. Persistence, patience and hard work. That’s what it takes. Thank you Frank and Jeanne. And thank you Senator Wyden and Congressman DeFazio for your personal attention on this bill and your hard work getting it passed into law.
