Crescent City council backs letter urging permanent protection for North Fork of the Smith River

The Crescent City Council voted unanimously Aug. 18 to authorize the mayor to sign a letter supporting federal legislation to permanently protect the North Fork of the Smith River from new hard-rock mining claims.

Grant Wirsch of the Smith River Alliance presented the request and outlined environmental and access concerns tied to strip mining in the region. Wirsch told the council that the federal government issued a 20-year mineral withdrawal for part of the North Fork area in February 2017 and that legislation introduced in Congress would make that withdrawal permanent.

"The 20-year mineral withdrawal, as noticed with this piece, was passed, made legal, so it's in place, and it is pending legislation to make it permanent," Wirsch said during his presentation. He described potential impacts from surface mining — including metals leaching, acid mine drainage, changes in watershed flow, reduced public access and air-quality effects — and said the withdrawal area totals roughly 58,000 acres, of which about 2,800 acres are the subject of unvalidated mining claims sometimes called the Cleopatra claims (information cited to the presenter).

Council members pressed Wirsch on wildfire and public-safety implications. One council member asked whether mineral-withdrawal protections would affect firefighting tactics such as air drops or ground access. Wirsch, who chairs the Smith River Collaborative, replied that withdrawal or wilderness designations would not prevent wildfire response and that collaborative fuel-management and preparedness work already aided recent local fire suppression efforts.

"This would have absolutely no bearing on that," Wirsch said, describing interagency wildfire-preparedness projects that he said helped during the Smith River Complex fire.

Several council members also raised long-term financial concerns about cleanup costs if mines are developed and later abandoned. Wirsch acknowledged the risk, noting that low ore concentrations can make operations economically marginal and that cleanup costs have, in other places, been borne by taxpayers.

Wirsch urged the council to renew earlier letters of support; staff confirmed the city had provided related support in prior years. City staff also told the council that written public comments on the matter had been received and posted.

Council member Greenough moved to authorize the mayor to sign a letter of support for legislative efforts to protect the North Fork; the motion was seconded and passed with recorded yes votes from Council member Greenough, Council member Tinkler, Mayor Pro Tem Wright and Mayor Altman.

The council’s authorization gives the mayor permission to transmit the city’s support to members of Congress and other agencies. Council members said they wanted the record to show the city’s continued concern about water quality, public access and the potential for taxpayer liability if mining and later remediation occur.