The North Fork Smith serves as a salmon and steelhead stronghold for the large Umpqua River system, with good runs of coho, sea-run and resident cutthroat trout, fall chinook and winter steelhead. Western Rivers Conservancy acquired a unique 320-acre property on the North Fork Smith, and in summer 2003, we conveyed the land to the adjacent Siuslaw National Forest. The property is the only private in-holding within the Kentucky Falls Special Interest Area, a seven-mile-long corridor of old growth in the Siuslaw National Forest.

This area contains the largest expanse of mature Late Successional Reserve in the Oregon Coast Range. Large-scale restoration efforts have already been performed just downstream of the property. Public acquisition and additional restoration efforts will enhance the basin's fish productivity and ensure excellent refugia for the North Fork Smith's salmon and steelhead.

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