FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    

October 23, 2023

Contact: Frances Oyung, Rogue Riverkeeper Program Director, (541) 488-9831 ext. 1019, frances@rogueriverkeeper.org

Local community members seek to protect small stream

An ad hoc citizen’s group called Save the Phoenix Wetlands and clean water advocate Rogue Riverkeeper applied to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to propose that a tributary of Bear Creek in Jackson County, Oregon be officially named Blue Heron Creek. On October 12, 2023, the application was approved. Small streams, wetlands, and springs in the region are critical for protecting water quality and habitat for native fish.  Unnamed waterways do not receive the same protection and attention from residents and agencies and this tributary has not had a documented name in recorded history, putting its survival at risk. This spring-fed waterway, now named Blue Heron Creek, will continue to provide habitat and cold water refuge for several species of fish and aquatic organisms as well as invertebrates, birds, and pollinators. Because it is located in Blue Heron Park, it is an important community asset. The naming of Blue Heron Creek will support continued and improved conservation, stewardship, and protection of this body of water. 

Quotes:

“Our native salmon and steelhead need cool water to thrive.  Drought, heat waves, and projections of more severe weather in the future are roadblocks to producing salmon and steelhead, and make spring-fed streams like Blue Heron Creek even more important.  Naming will create awareness of the creek and will eventually help protect native riparian vegetation that keeps all streams in the Rogue watershed cool and productive.” -Dan Van Dyke, Rogue District Fish Biologist, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

"The consistent cold water that this spring-fed creek provides through the hot summer months is a unique gift for the fish in Bear Creek and the entire Rogue Basin. It certainly merits a name!" -Robert Coffan, hydrogeologist.

“Blue Heron Creek provides the hydrology and pure water that creates the associated wetlands and riparian habitat that supports a wide variety of wildlife and is especially important for many songbirds that are found along the creek.” -Scott English, Wildlife Biologist.

“It’s easy to take things for granted until they disappear— like breathing or a heart that beats. Bear Creek, with its associated streams and wetlands, is a life-giving artery supporting fish and wildlife throughout the Rogue Valley. Let’s protect it.” -Haila Williams, Phoenix resident

Rogue Riverkeeper is a program of KS Wild, a non-profit advocacy group based in Ashland, Oregon. “Save the Phoenix Wetlands” is an ad hoc group of local community members interested in protecting waterways and wetlands in Phoenix, Oregon.