The South Fork of the Salmon River (ID) is a quintessential whitewater watershed, with numerous quality roadside stretches and one of the west's most classic multi-day self-support trips. The area is reminiscent of the Middle Fork Salmon but the gradient is steeper, the whitewater more challenging, and the water pools more often below impressive granite monoliths emphasizing the crystal clear nature of the crisp and cold water dripping from your paddle blade. The area is great for camping and numerous hot springs abound.
Currently, a Canadian mining company has a proposal for three massive open pit mines in the watershed to extract gold and antimony. This proposal directly threatens the South Fork Salmon River.
The Payette National Forest is currently reviewing the proposal and is scheduled to a release a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) in the fall of 2019 that will be open for public comment. Until then, you can help by joining in opposition to this harmful project by signing our petition.
The petition helps us document interest in this issue from our community that we will take to the Forest Service and members of Congress. In addition, we will follow up with you this fall when the public comment period opens to provide more information on how you can make your voice heard.