Citing government plans to log portions of the lower Rogue River watershed, the national American Rivers conservation group has placed the Rogue at No. 2 on its 2008 America's Most Endangered Rivers list.

In announcing the list today, the Washington, D.C.-based organization said it does not actually consider the Rogue River to be the second most endangered river in the nation. But the group warned that logging in the river's tributaries near the wild and scenic section downstream from Grave Creek will threaten the region's clean water as well as salmon and steelhead habitat.

"Logging the Rogue River would be like tearing down the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument for their marble," said American Rivers president Rebecca Wodder in a prepared statement. "The wild Rogue is a national treasure and it is our responsibility to protect it for future generations."

Amy Kober, a Seattle-based spokeswoman for American Rivers, noted that the group solicits nominations for its annual report.

"This list isn't about the most threatened or most polluted rivers," she said. "The criteria include a decision point the public can weigh in on, the magnitude of the threat and the significance of the river."

(Read the full article, and see a list of America's most endangered rivers here.)