Rogue River Named #5 on America’s Most Endangered Rivers® List of 2026 Due to Threats from Mining and Rollback of Federal Protections

Contact:
Hawk Hammer, National Communications and Media Director, Hhammer@americanrivers.org
Michael Dotson, Executive Director, Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center, 541-488-5789 x 1010, michael@kswild.org
Frances Oyung, Rogue Riverkeeper, 541-488-9831, frances@rogueriverkeeper.org

Washington, D.C. — American Rivers is today naming the Rogue River as one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2026, citing threats from logging, mining, and road building that could follow the rollback of long-standing federal protections from the 2001 Roadless Rule. 

“The iconic Rogue River is one of America’s great wild rivers, but unfortunately, its clean water and fish and wildlife habitat are under threat by the removal of existing protections under the Roadless Rule,” said David Moryc, senior director of river protection for American Rivers. “We must unite and conserve the natural and economic lifeblood of the local communities and businesses in Southwest Oregon that depend on a healthy Rogue River.”

The Rogue River flows more than 215 miles from the volcanic slopes of the Cascade Range, through the rugged Klamath and Siskiyou Mountains, before reaching the Pacific Ocean in southern Oregon. Its 5,100-square-mile watershed drains an area roughly the size of the state of Connecticut.

“Beyond the fight over Roadless Rule rescission, the Rogue and its largest tributary – the Wild and Scenic Illinois River – are threatened by nickel mining exploration,” said Michael Dotson, Executive Director of the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center. “A Canadian company has laid claims to more than 10,000 acres of public land in the greater Rogue and Illinois River watersheds, threatening some of Southwest Oregon’s premier wild rivers and wild fish runs.”

Internationally recognized for its natural beauty and ecological importance, the Rogue was designated as one of the first Wild and Scenic Rivers in 1968. The river supports the second-largest salmon run in the contiguous United States, with roughly 100,000 salmon returning annually.

Outdoor recreation on the Rogue—including salmon fishing, hunting, rafting, and boating—contributes more than $30 million annually to communities across southwest Oregon. 

“The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) also wants to revise forest management plans for western Oregon public lands,” said Frances Oyung of the Rogue Riverkeeper. “The BLM’s latest proposal would return us to the days of clear-cut logging, and by prioritizing timber volume over watershed protection, public land managers are putting the values we cherish — clean water for drinking and recreation, native fish, and biodiversity — at risk.”

For over two decades, the Roadless Rule has protected pristine national forests, and if the U.S. Department of Agriculture eliminates it, 200,000 acres in the Rogue and Illinois River watershed would be opened to large-scale logging, road-building, and industrial nickel mining, putting clean water and wildlife habitat at risk.

American Rivers and its partners are calling on the federal government to uphold existing protections under the Roadless Rule and urging the public and decision-makers to ensure that existing protections remain in place to safeguard the Rogue River.

For more details on this river and the full America’s Most Endangered Rivers® list of 2026, including the selection process, click here. 

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American Rivers is a national conservation organization working to make every river clean and healthy for people and wildlife. We combine evidence-based solutions with enduring partnerships to safeguard the 4.4 million miles of rivers and streams that are essential to our nation’s clean drinking water, extraordinary wildlife, and the strength of our communities. For more than 50 years, our staff, supporters, and partners have been driven by a common belief: Life Depends on Rivers®. AmericanRivers.org

The Klamath-Siskiyou Wildland Center (KS Wild) is a non-profit conservation organization that works across southwest Oregon and northwest California’s public lands. KS Wild advocates for protection and restoration of more than 8 million acres of public land on five national forests and two Bureau of Land Management districts. We use science, grassroots organizing, and environmental law to defend forests, waters, and wildlife in one of the most biodiverse landscapes in North America. KSWild.org