Comments Supporting the Proposed Mineral Withdrawl for National Forest and Bureau of Land Management Lands in the Siskiyou Wild Rivers Area of Oregon and California

This report provides scientific support for the segregation and proposed withdrawal of National Forest and Bureau of Land Management lands, in the Siskiyou Wild Rivers Area, from new claims under the 1872 mining law (USDI Federal Register Notice 66 (14) pp. 6663-6664 (BLM lands) and USDI Federal Register Notice 66 (14) p. 6664 (Forest Service lands)). The mineral withdrawal is being proposed as a step towards protecting the nationally significant scenic, recreation and ecological values of the Siskiyou Wild Rivers Area. This area is home to sensitive wild salmon and steelhead populations and many endemic plants and animals, in particular species associated with serpentine soils. Maps of mining claim density by township, range and section were developed to identify areas where current and future claims are most likely to impact the regions sensitive species and their habitats. This report provides an overview of the ecological significance of the Siskiyou Wild Rivers Area, a brief discussion of the area’s mining history and documentation of the impacts that mining can have on the aquatic and terrestrial species that make the Siskiyou Wild Rivers Area a center of biodiversity.