The Kalmiopsis | An American Treasure
The Kalmiopsis Wilderness and the unprotected North & South Kalmiopsis Roadless Areas are known as the greater Kalmiopsis Wildlands or Kalmiopsis Mountains. This river-rich region is home to the National Wild & Scenic Illinois, Chetco and North Fork Smith rivers, plus five U.S. Forest Service eligible wild and scenic rivers—also known as candidate wild and scenic rivers.
Here you’ll find Jeffrey pine savannas, unique wetlands, and some of the rarest plants on earth. With the rest of the Oregon/California Wild Rivers Coast, it’s the last best wild salmon stronghold on the West Coast, south of the Olympics.
For millennia, this rugged wild landscape has served as a climate refuge for species from surrounding regions. However, the ancient geology of the South Kalmiopsis Wildlands holds the greatest threat to the region’s priceless rivers and pure drinking water—strip mining for nickel. Learn more at Protect Kalmiopsis Rivers.