George Bennett, Sole Proprietor, GRI, ABR

Winter storms blow in from Hawaii on the “pineapple express” to the coast of Port Orford where they let loose their powerful winds, storm surfs, and rain to lash the beaches and forests of one of the most westerly cities of contiguous United States.

The ocean swells - waves rise rapidly to towering heights then roar towards the shore where the wind blows their white-water crests into an ocean spray before they crash around the sea stacks or over the jetty and wash onto the shore.

Hurricane strength winds whip the limbs of trees back and forth, up and down, and round & round. The more flexible trees bend and yield to the relentless winds and powerful gusts while the more rigid trees lose limbs, or their tops break off, or they are uprooted.

Heavy rains and torrential down pours drive towns people, storm watchers, and critters to places of shelter where they find food and drink to enjoy with the warm dry comfort of a wood fire in the fireplace.

This is winter time in Port Orford where weather can turn shorteded days into times of adventure that excite imaginations, enliven souls, and give birth to tales of peril, rescues, losses, and love

The Elk River is one of three world-class salmon, cutthroat and steelhead trout fishing rivers in the Port Orford area. It rises approximately 25 miles into the Coastal Range of mountains of northern Curry County in the Siskiyou National Forest. Generally speaking it flows in a westerly direction through Grassy Knob Wilderness, when it reaches Port Orford it generally flows northwest, and drains into the Pacific just south of Cape Blanco.

The Elk River watershed is representative of the old-growth ecosystems along the southern Oregon coast. The scenic quality in the river corridor is a result of a combination of the geology, land forms, water and vegetation features. The lower section of the river flows through a steep canyon with exposed rock surfaces, forming an inner-gorge environment. Upstream, the gorge widens slightly, but the corridor remains very steep.

The combination of water, color, exposed rock surfaces, dynamic flow, and relatively undisturbed environment creates an interesting and beautiful landscape throughout the year. The scenic quality of the river corridor draws on these features to create a significant value within the federally protected corridor.

The Elk River was designated "Wild and Scenic" on the 28 October 1988 and given two classifications:

1. "Recreational" for the 17-mile segment from the confluence of the North and South Forks of the Elk River to Anvil Creek.
2. "Wild" for the 2-mile segment of the North Fork Elk River from the falls to its confluence with the South Fork Elk River.

The Elk and the Sixes Rivers are often called sister rivers due to their close proximity.

The upper Middle Fork of the Sixes River and the North Fork of the Elk River are under consideration for wilderness designation as part of the 13,700 acre Copper Salmon Wilderness area to protect one of the nation's largest remaining stands of low-elevation old-growth forest and one of the healthiest salmon, steelhead, and cutthroat trout runs in the continental United States as well as stands of vulnerable Port Orford Cedar and endangered birds like the marbled murrelet and the northern spotted owl.

Elk River not far from the mouth

Old Growth Port Orford Cedar

Copper Mountain

Camp Grounds

There are three developed campgrounds within the Elk river corridor; two sites are located along the river, Butler Bar and Sunshine Bar, and the third campground is Laird Lake. None of these sites currently charge a fee, with Butler Bar providing water service on a seasonal basis. The river itself provides many pools and swimming areas, and there are several dispersed sites along the river corridor. The main attraction to the area is fishing, which is restricted to the first two miles of river corridor.

The Sixes River is one of three world-class salmon, cutthroat and steelhead trout fishing rivers in the forests around Port Orford. It rises approximately 30 miles into pristine areas of the Coastal Range of mountains of northern Curry County just south of Sugarloaf Mountain in the Siskiyou National Forest. Generally speaking it flows in a westerly direction through the Grassy Knob Wilderness, by the unincorporated town of Sixes, and drains into the Pacific just north of Cape Blanco.

The upper Middle Fork of the Sixes River and the North Fork of the Elk River are under consideration for wilderness designation as part of the 13,700 acre Copper Salmon Wilderness area to protect one of the nation's largest remaining stands of low-elevation old-growth forest and one of the healthiest salmon, steelhead, and cutthroat trout runs in the continental United States as well as stands of vulnerable Port Orford Cedar and ndangered birds like the marbled murrelet and the northern spotted owl.

Port Orford Cedar

Copper Mountain view from Barklow Mountain.

If you enjoy the roaring surf at the coast, the flowing movements of a river through the canyons, the winds in the trees, or the sounds of silence experienced in the long views over the river valley then you'll enjoy fishing, camping, hiking, and other outdoor activities on the Sixes. Check out our local campgrounds.

Camp Grounds

Sixes BLM Campground 5 miles north of Port Orford, turn east at Sixes River Road, go 13.5 miles to campground. BLM campground:

1. 19 sites,
2. Vault toilets,
3. No drinking water,
4. Camping,
5. Picnicking,
6. Fishing,
7. Recreation mining and panning for gold,
8. Nature watching, and
9. Photography.

Cape Blanco State Park - 10 miles west off U.S. 101 on Cape Blanco Rd just 9 miles north of Port Orford. The park is on the south Oregon coast. Campsites:

1. 58 electric (max. RV length 40'),
2. Hiker/biker, horse camps,
3. Dump station.
4. Showers.
5. Trails.
6. Swimming
7. Accessible campsite (1E), and
8. Restrooms for people with disabilities.

We have experience in solving the foreclosure problems. In 1933 FDR's people redefined the role of the Federal Home Loan Banking Board through the Home Owner's Loan Act and created the Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC). The HOLC was granted $200 million in start up funds and the authority to market more than $2 billion in govt. backed tax-exempt bonds to purchase delinquent mortgages before they went into default.

But that is not all the HOLC did. The new agency also offered direct aid to the besieged homeowners who were cut off from credit. The HOLC operated under six guiding principals which defined the program as well as FDR's understanding of the relationship between housing and the economy:

1. The physical home and the families who owned and occupied it were of paramount importance, not the monetary value of the property or the mortgage that secured it. The mortgage and the financial market's speculation on mortgage backed securities were crushing both the homeowners and the home. It was determined that balance had to be restored, and the speculative, inflated values of mortgages written down.

2. Existing mortgages would not be rescued. Instead, HOLC would underwrite and insure new mortgages at 80% loan to value issued at lower interest rates (5% or less) and longer terms (20 and 30 year terms) to take the pressure off the homeowners and the banks; and halt the foreclosures.

3. The housing sector is fueled by credit and the availability of funds. When credit market speculation destroyed the market it was determined that they had to be thrown out of the market and kept out while a govt. regulated and insured system had to be reborn and expanded.

4. Market reform and re-establishment of the home loan credit system had to be accomplished in the context of government directed reform and control of the credit markets and the banking industry. They understood that only the govt. had the power to define, plan, and implement this reorganization.

5. Lenders were needed to provide the credit and the govt. regulators needed to protect residential mortgage lenders from commercial banks and speculators.

6. The waves of foreclosures could be broken provided the residential mortgage lenders were placed under govt. supervision and provided that steps were taken to rewrite mortgages for longer terms, at lower interest rates, and federally insured.

Additionally, the HOLC agents handled every loan situation on an individual basis. They made personal visits and helped clients organize their lives. Their actions were guided by the knowledge that the only real basis for repayment came from the ability of the client and his family to survive and prosper. The agents used their broad discretionary powers to help clients find work, to collect insurance claims and pensions, to attract tenants for rentals, to qualify for public assistance, and even to locate foster children that could be taken in for a fee.

I believe the success of this program was due in large part to the wisdom demonstrated by FDR in placing the needs of people before the needs of financiers.

The risk is manageable and they once again can make money on:

• Residential mortgages
• Commercial mortgages
• Business loans
• Auto loans
• Credit Cards,

The govt. is taking action to stabilize the economy and create a market environment in which the risks can be managed and banks will make loans. In addition to taking over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and reducing the Federal Reserve Rate to between 0 and 0.25% the govt. has invested more than:

• 256 billion to address insolvency in the financial markets by stabilizing banks that were deemed to big to fail,credit worthy banks, and AIG.
• 500 billion for the Federal Reserve to buy mortgage backed securities to further stabilize the financial markets, and
• 19 billion in the auto industry & GMAC to preserve more than 250,000 jobs.

The Secretary of the Treasury and his successor are making plans and will be taking actions under congressional oversight to invest the remainder of the 450 billion in TARP funds authorized by the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act,

The new administration, and the new congress are making plans to:

• Cut taxes,
• Invest in infrastructure
• Fund development of alternative energy sources,
• Create jobs, and
• Regulate the financial markets.

The govt. is working the problem(s) and it plans to do more but in my opinion, lender confidence will not return until we stabilize the housing market which will require revision of the bankruptcy laws and a govt. investment of approximately 300 billion in programs to stimulate the purchasing of existing home inventory.