The Rogue River rushes along in 2023. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

For decades, Oregonians have rallied to protect the Rogue River. From anglers and rafters to hikers and conservationists, this Wild and Scenic gem has inspired generations to fight for its free-flowing character and the wilderness that surrounds it. Much of the Rogue enjoys federal protections earned through past campaigns — but one essential stretch remains vulnerable: the rugged canyon between Grave Creek and Marial.

It’s time to finish the job.

This 20-mile reach is the heart of the Wild Rogue. Each year, thousands of people float this section, marveling at its clear water, ancient forests, and narrow gorges. It’s not just a world-class recreational destination — it’s a vital habitat for salmon, black bears, and hundreds of native plant species. Yet despite its significance, tens of thousands of acres of public lands along this corridor remain without wilderness designation, leaving them exposed to logging, road building, and other industrial threats.

Just south of the Rogue, Rough and Ready Creek in the Illinois River watershed is another crown jewel long overdue for protection. One of the most botanically diverse areas in Oregon, Rough and Ready is home to rare serpentine ecosystems, endemic plants, and pristine waterways. But like the Wild Rogue corridor, it remains unprotected — and faces growing pressure from mining interests that see these public lands as extractive opportunities, not ecological treasures.

Efforts to protect these areas go back more than two decades. Bipartisan legislation like the Oregon Recreation Enhancement Act has come close to the finish line several times, with strong support from local businesses, outfitters, scientists, and communities across southern Oregon. But for years, progress has stalled.

Part of the problem is that national conservation groups have shifted their focus toward sweeping proposals like Senator Ron Wyden’s River Democracy Act — a well-meaning but overextended bill that proposes protections for thousands of rivers across Oregon. In trying to protect everything, we’ve failed to protect the most important places. The Wild Rogue and Rough and Ready Creek — two of Oregon’s most ecologically and recreationally valuable places — have been left in legislative limbo.

Now, there’s new urgency.

Language quietly inserted by Senator Mike Lee into the recent budget reconciliation bill threatens to allow the sale of certain federal public lands that lack specific protections. If this provision becomes law, unprotected lands — including parts of the Rogue corridor and Rough and Ready watershed — could be sold off to the highest bidder. Once privatized or developed, these wild places are gone forever.

That’s why we must act now. We no longer have the luxury of delay. These landscapes are too important to be sacrificed to political gridlock or overshadowed by national-scale strategies that lose sight of local, winnable fights.

Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley have long championed protections for these places. But we need them — and the entire conservation community — to refocus on finishing this work. The path forward is clear: expand the Wild Rogue Wilderness, safeguard Rough and Ready Creek, and permanently protect the surrounding public lands from mining, logging, and development.

This is not just about environmental values. It’s about economic ones, too. The Rogue and Illinois watersheds support thriving recreation economies in communities like Grants Pass, Cave Junction, and Gold Beach. Outfitters, lodges, fishing guides, and small businesses all depend on the continued health and beauty of these landscapes.

The Rogue River and Rough and Ready Creek are national treasures. If we truly believe in protecting wild rivers and public lands, we need to prove it — not with words or symbolic legislation, but with meaningful, lasting protections.

Let’s finish the job — before it’s too late.

Zachary Collier is the owner of Northwest Rafting Company, a river outfitter on the Rogue, Owyhee, Chetco, Illinois and Salmon rivers.