Illinois Valley News

Last month, Sen. Jason Atkinson (R-Central Point) took a public stance against the practice of suction dredge mining, which has been banned in the state of California. Atkinson, whose district includes most of Josephine County, also declared his intention to draft legislation to remedy the influx of Californians who are now dredging in Oregon’s rivers.

The senator’s decision came as somewhat of a surprise to representatives of local mining groups. However, Atkinson insists that his ire is aimed at people from out of state, and that he is willing to work with area miners to come up with a workable solution.

Tom Kitchar has served as president of the Waldo Mining District (WMD) since 2001 and has been a suction dredge miner in Southwest Oregon for the last 23 years. WMD was established in 1852, represents more than 100 small-scale miners and has a total membership of around 1,500 individuals.

In an Aug. 25 letter to Atkinson, Kitchar wrote that he found the senator’s published statements about suction dredge mining to be “quite disturbing.”

“It appears to us that you either have some misunderstandings about the effects of suction dredge mining on the environment and aquatic species, or, someone has fed you a pack of falsehoods and over-exaggerations,” Kitchar wrote.

Kitchar disputed the claim that the mining practice kills or destroys fish eggs by passing them through the dredge. He said that suction dredge mining is not allowed during the time that fish eggs and young fish are present, as the Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife bans in-water work from June 15 through Sept. 15.

Also denied by Kitchar is the contention that suction dredge mining spears or stirs up mercury lying dormant in the water. Kitchar wrote that dredging removes liquid mercury present in the gravels “at absolutely no cost what-so-ever to the state or tax-payers.”

The claim that suction dredge mining could stir up silt and contribute to the destruction of river bottoms seems “rather absurd,” Kitchar wrote, in light of the recent removals of the Savage Rapids and Gold Ray dams.

Kitchar wrote there is an estimated 200,000 cubic yards of sediment within the first 1,000 feet upstream of the former Savage Rapids dam site. It would take 600 four-inch suction dredges, working four hours per day for approximately 133 days to move that much sediment, Kitchar wrote.

For the past 30 years, Kitchar wrote, suction dredge mining has been “attacked by extremist environmentalists time and again, forcing government agencies at all levels” to fund studies “apparently with the hopes that sooner or later, someday, someone will reach a conclusion showing an actual harm.”

“To date, no such study, out of literally hundreds, has shown a specific proven measurable harm that cannot be safely mitigated from this activity,” Kitchar wrote. “In fact, the few studies that have found a measurable or even hinted at effect found that the effects from suction dredge mining are actually beneficial to fish, aquatic species, and the environment.”

Kitchar concluded his letter by requesting a meeting with Atkinson so the senator can “learn the true facts about what we do before you take steps that will destroy an industry that helped found and build Oregon and continues to pump hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions, into Oregon’s already depressed economy for no real reason at all.”

Atkinson defended his position in a Thursday, Sept. 2 telephone interview.

“Along the Klamath River, there’s been a problem, not with mining, per say, but with how some miners went about the things they did,” Atkinson said. “Some of them were camping next to their gear all summer long, essentially squatting on public land and leaving the river in bad shape.”

Atkinson insists that his legislative efforts will not be aimed at Oregonians with valid mining claims.

“I came home and saw all these license plates from out of state along the Rogue River and on the Applegate River,” Atkinson said. “What it does is it really gives a black eye to the Oregon mining community, which is being responsible.”

The Rogue River draws around $15 million in tourism dollars to Jackson and Josephine County every year, Atkinson said, which employs over 600 people.

“Countless chambers of commerce and tourism people point to the river as what makes Southern Oregon,” Atkinson said. “It is our definition. We can’t have guys from out of state come here, make a couple hundred bucks, leave it worse than they found it and move on. It’s not fair to Oregon taxpayers and it’s not fair to the industry.”

Atkinson said that since he took his public stance, comments at his legislative office have been supportive by a 5-1 ratio.

Kitchar’s letter to Atkinson prompted a phone call from the senator. Atkinson described the conversation as “wonderful,” characterized Kitchar as a “great guy” and expressed his willingness to work with WMD and other similar groups when drafting his proposed legislation.

“I don’t even have it all written out yet,” Atkinson said. “I wanted to make sure I would be working with the local mining community.”

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