Update (01-12-17 3:30 p.m.) — President Obama is expanding the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.
48,000 acres of land in southwestern Oregon and northern California will be added to the monument.
The expansion will cover the Rogue Valley foothills, the Southern Cascades area, the Grizzly Peak area, Horseshoe ranch and the Jenny Creek area.
In addition to the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument expansion, 6,800 acres will be added to the California Coastal National Monument.
The Bureau of Land Management will handle the expansion.
A map of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument expansion can be found here.
A fact sheet on the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument expansion can be found here.
Maps of the California Coastal National Monument expansion can be found here.
A fact sheet on the California Coastal National Monument expansion can be found here.
President Obama’s proclamation can be found here.
Medford, Ore. — The U.S. Department of the Interior says the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument is the first monument established primarily for the preservation of biodiversity.
“It would become, I think in time, a world-class laboratory for the environment,” commented Diarmuid McGuire, owner of the Greensprings Inn who says his cabin business inside the national monument has grown 15 to 20 percent every year. “Largely because I think the monument put us on the map.”
According to the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center, the proposed expansion would add 50,000 acres to the current monument.
But while McGuire’s business has been thriving, he says saving the ecosystem is more important. He thinks the expansion is critical for the environment.
“It could be studied and appreciated by visitors, It would be something unique in the United States.”
However, not everyone agrees with McGuire.
“If the area is so pristine now — under the current management that it’s managed under — why do we need to change that?” asks David Jordan, President of the Rogue Snowmobilers Association. He says the expansion would take away access to land for the winter activity.
“Southern Oregon is a mecca for snowmobiling and this eliminates hundred of miles of trails that our members currently use.”
Many others for and against the expansion are concerned about wildfire risk, private property, grazing allotment, and vegetation.
The commissioners are looking to send input from the community, back to Washington, DC regarding the proposed expansion.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.