Pacific Northwest Watershed
Chetco River
This largely undeveloped watershed, is protected by the Rogue River Siskiyou National Forest and the Kalmiopsis Wilderness in southwest Oregon.
- Coho Salmon
- Fall Chinook
- Winter Steelhead
- Coastal Cutthroat Trout
River Stewards
Recent Accomplishment - State Scenic Waterway
Photo: Zach Collier/Northwest Rafting Co.
In 2016, Oregon’s Governor Brown officially designated 28 miles of new State Scenic Waterways in the Molalla and Chetco rivers, which are now protected from damming, dewatering and mining.
Our River Stewards, Mark Schmidt on the Molalla, and Sunny Bourdon on the Chetco worked with staff and rallied their community members and local businesses to support new these new protections.
After rounds of public meetings and comment opportunities, the final tally resulted in a full 99% of the comments received by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department favoring State Scenic Waterways for both the Chetco and Molalla. The Clackamas and Curry County Commissioners also roundly supported the designation of both rivers.
In total, Oregon’s system of State Scenic Waterways now protects 21 river miles and one mountain lake for a total of 1,177 stream miles.
You can read the Chetco State Scenic Waterway Management Plan here.
And you can read the Molalla State Scenic Waterway Management Plan here.
Watershed Report Card
Good
Overall health score: 78/100
Data sources: USGS NWIS, EPA ATTAINS, StreamNet, NIFC, US Drought Monitor, NID. Scoring methodology developed by Native Fish Society based on salmonid habitat criteria. Data reviewed 2026.
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