Nowhere is this more evident than in the Klamath River, where Chinook and coho salmon are at low ebbs of their populations.

Given the complexity of the problems besetting Klamath River, it is going to take a long time to bring back the salmon to historic numbers, assuming our society has the will to do so. In the meantime, we need to protect the few remaining healthy populations in California, to make sure the salmon are not forgotten and to make sure that we have sources of fish for damaged rivers as they recover.

For example, the continued protection of the beautiful and little appreciated Smith River, the next major river north of the Klamath, is an investment that will help sustain salmon fisheries in California and will also support recovery of the Klamath River.

The Smith River is a stronghold for salmon, steelhead and cutthroat trout in California; at least five species in multiple runs use the river. It is unparalleled in its combination of natural river flows, protected habitat and healthy fish populations. Much of this watershed is within the Smith River National Recreation Area and the Redwood national and state parks, but not all. We now need to protect the entire watershed, to make sure that the Smith remains an example of what a healthy river is like. The Smith can also become our salmon insurance policy, a potential source of wild fish for restoration of other watersheds such as the Klamath.

Right now, we have an opportunity to further secure the Smith River as a refuge for wild salmon. Thanks to the action of three hard-working organizations, Western Rivers Conservancy, California Trout and the Smith River Alliance, the public has the rare opportunity to purchase the lands surrounding Goose Creek, the Smith's largest tributary and an important spawning area for salmon.

The timber company owners of the 9,500-acre Goose Creek property made the decision to sell the land and the nonprofit guardians moved quickly to forge a deal to add it to the Smith River National Recreation Area.

Thanks to support from many individuals and organizations, including Del Norte County, more than half of the purchase has been completed with funds from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund. Sens. Dianne Feinstein Barbara Boxer and Rep. Mike Thompson all deserve credit for their diligent work to make this happen. But $2.7 million is still needed to complete the acquisition, and, this year, no funds have been allocated in the federal budget for Goose Creek.

The need for forward-thinking restoration measures to recover California's northern salmon populations has never been more evident. Protecting Goose Creek is an important action we can take now with long-term, positive consequences for the Smith and Klamath rivers. Those of us who continue to be optimists about the restoration of California's rivers see this as a major, highly visible step toward reversing decades of abuse of our salmon rivers.