Document text
1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Charter, marijuana tax measures await Talent voters ... Emigrant Lake drowning victim identified as Medford man ... Man found dead after search at Emigrant Lake ... Charter, marijuana tax measures await Talent voters ... Emigrant Lake drowning victim identified as Medford man ... Man found dead after search at Emigrant Lake ... ENVIRONMENT Group pushes to expand Southern Oregon monument lands Proposal seeks to grow the boundaries of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument Comment By Mark Freeman For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Mark Freeman For the Tidings Posted Sep. 5, 2016 at 3:35 PM By Mark Freeman For the Tidings Posted Sep. 5, 2016 at 3:35 PM » Social News ASHLAND — A group of scientists, local leaders and Oregon's two U.S. senators are calling for an expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, saying the borders drawn during its creation 16 years ago fail to protect its unique biological diversity — particularly in the face of climate change. The current borders around the monument don't take into account full watersheds, fail to protect the headwaters of Jenny Creek and other streams and don't include high-elevation public lands needed for the monument's unique flora and fauna as they react to climate change, the group says. Supporters claim that not doing so threatens the so-called "spectacular biological diversity" and the rare plants, animals and other "objects of interest" cited in the presidential proclamation that created the now-66,000-acre monument in 2000. "The borders now don't do the job that the proclamation intends," says Dave Willis, chairman of the Soda Mountain Wilderness Council and one of the original leaders of the effort to establish the monument. "It's to protect the biological diversity and connectivity and make it more resilient to climate change," Willis says. The group has offered no specific recommended boundaries, but they say it should grow in most directions, including into California. Willis says an expansion could increase the monument by as little as 50 percent or possibly double its size. They cite a 2011 study by several local scientists since endorsed by dozens of others as outlining the reasons and general locations for possible expansion. Democratic Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley this past week formally requested that U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell come to Southern Oregon and hold a public meeting to gather input on potential expansion. Willis says the monument needed expansion for these same reasons shortly after it was created, "so it would be good to do it sooner than later." "The boundaries may have looked good in 2000," Willis says. "In 2011, (supporting scientists) said that doesn't do the job." Supporters also believe they like their chances under the soon-to-be-ending Obama administration, which has supported public lands protections. "This could be one of his last, best acts," says Pam Marsh, an Ashland City Council member and expansion supporter. The monument's outer boundaries have not changed since President Bill Clinton exercised powers under the Antiquities Act to designate the monument in 2000. Originally it was about 53,000 acres within a roughly 85,000-acre footprint, with the remaining lands islands of private holdings. Since then, willing sellers paid largely through the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund have sold about 13,000 more acres within that same footprint. Scientists consider the monument area to be one of the most biologically diverse locations in North America, in part because it is a land bridge where four distinct ecoregions meet. The 2011 study looked at three main areas for expansion: The Rogue Valley Foothills to Plateau, which would extend north in the Cascades to include Grizzly Peak and portions of the Dead Indian Plateau; the Klamath River Ridges to the south; and the Johnson Prairie-Fall Creek expansion extending east in the Klamath Mountains. Expansion in these areas would protect habitats such as headwaters that contribute water to the monument as well as habitat used by wintering black-tailed deer and water supporting rare foothill yellow-legged frogs. "Complete watersheds were not protected," says Rogue Valley Audubon ornithologist Pepper Trail, who took part in the 2011 study. "It abruptly stops at the Oregon/California border. Obviously, that's not a biological border." One example is Jenny Creek, which meanders in and out of the monument on the Oregon side while the falls that isolates the creek's population of native redband trout also is outside the monument. Expansion into these areas would "better recognize the ecological systems" supporting what's already in the monument, says Jack Williams, a Medford resident and senior scientist for Trout Unlimited. "The more of the watershed that could be included in the monument boundary would benefit these fish in the long run," Williams says. While no exact boundaries are in the recommendation, Willis says any expansion likely would include the same ratio of public and private lands within its new footprint. As with current rules, private lands within the monument's boarders are not subject to rules governing federally designated monuments, Willis says. Monument lands are open to hikers, hunters, anglers and others for exploration and recreation, Willis says. The proposal also has the formal support of the Ashland and Talent city councils as well as their chambers of commerce. Reach Mail Tribune reporter Mark Freeman at 541-776-4470 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MTwriterFreeman . Marsh says the Ashland City Council endorsed the concept last year as a way of helping grow its tourism-based economy. "A monument expansion that pushes the monument west and toward the shoulders of Ashland would be a good thing for us," Marsh says. Reach Mail Tribune reporter Mark Freeman at 541-776-4470 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MTwriterFreeman . By Mark Freeman For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Mark Freeman For the Tidings Posted Sep. 5, 2016 at 3:35 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501