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Monumental dispute Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Don Rowlett, owner of the Box R Ranch in the Greensprings, fears the creation of a Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument will limit what private property owners in the area can do with their land. Environmentalists and scientists believe the monument will guarantee preservation of one of the most biologically diverse areas in North America. Some property owners fear Soda Mountain protection will harm their way of life By Paul Fattig GREENSPRINGS � Pioneers first grazed their stock at Round Prairie while taking a break from their arduous journey up the Applegate Trail during the late 1840s. "Round Prairie was the midway stopping point between the Klamath Basin and the Rogue Valley," observed resident Don Rowlett. He and his wife, Jean, bought the Box R Ranch, which contains the Round Prairie meadow, three decades ago. "We got water. We got grass. And we got sheer beauty," he said. But Rowlett, founder of Ross Dress for Less who has built a destination resort on the ranch, says the grandeur that comforted pioneers 150 years ago is now threatening residents� lifestyles with the expected creation of the 52,000-acre Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. "Those pioneers would be shocked to know that the feds, in concert with certain environmental groups, want all of this locked up now," said Rowlett, a leader of a local group opposed to the monument. "We don�t know exactly how this national monument is going to impact us, but we feel we have a lot of reasons to be concerned,�� he added. "We do know that to get those 52,000 acres of BLM land, it would go all the way to Jenny Creek and include this ranch." Although the Box R likely would be on the northeastern fringe of the monument recommended by Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt to President Clinton on Wednesday, Rowlett fears its creation will restrict use on his land. The monument itself would be restricted to Bureau of Land Management property. The type of protection and allowed use on the proposed monument, located on the BLM�s Medford District beginning a dozen miles southeast of Ashland, would be determined by the president, Babbitt has said. He also has repeatedly stressed that private land will not be affected by a monument. "That�s hogwash," Rowlett countered. Creation of the monument has been advocated by environmental activists and scientists. The Soda Mountain region where the Siskiyou and Cascade ranges meet is one of the most biologically diverse in North American, scientists say. Opposing the monument are county government officials, the timber industry, motorized off-road vehicle enthusiasts and many ranchers who fear losing grazing rights to local federal land. They argue that the diversity resulted from timber management and grazing over the years. Rowlett said many local private property owners are concerned about the ability to retain multiple use of the land. They�re also concerned about water rights, access and prescribed burning. "We�re scared to death of how government handles fire," he said, noting last month�s prescribed burn at a national monument in New Mexico that escaped and destroyed nearly 300 homes. But other local landowners say creating the national monument crowned by Soda Mountain will be an asset to Southern Oregon. They say past logging and grazing has degraded the area. A letter signed by roughly 100 residents in the sparsely populated Greensprings area was sent to the BLM late last month in support of the monument. Most of the Greensprings residents want the monument, said retired college professor John Ward, chairman of the Friends of Greensprings group. Ward has raised cattle on his 86-acre parcel for 30 years. "I think it�s an absolutely wonderful idea," said resident Suzi Givens. She and her husband, Bob, live on 50 acres surrounded by BLM land at the end of Soda Mountain Road. "We�ve been very worried about what the BLM might do with the land," she said, noting the monument recommendation has resolved those worries. Nancy Cole agreed. She and her husband, Marshall, own 1,421 acres high in the Emigrant Creek drainage which abuts BLM land. "We�re delighted � this will bring attention to a jewel that we�ve all known about up here for a long time," she said, adding her family has lived in the area for half a century. The Coles have planted more than 100,000 trees on their property, much of which had been logged by a previous owner. They also have been working to restore the natural habitat for the area�s flora and fauna. The monument "could be a linchpin for positive change," she said. Over at the Buckhorn Springs retreat high in the Emigrant Creek drainage, owner Bruce Sargent also supports creation of the monument which would surround his 120-acre parcel. "I�m overjoyed that we would be within the boundaries of the national monument," he said, citing the protection of the biodiversity of the region. "It would be a very positive thing for the community, for the Ashland area and the region," said Sargent, a 22-year resident of the area. But Sargent is concerned that an adjacent 160-acre parcel owned by Douglas County Lumber Co. may be logged. The retreat and the timber firm are now in court over an access issue. Sargent hopes to purchase the firm�s property before it can be logged. The problem of access arose because the Sutherlin-based firm�s property is, with the exception of the Buckhorn Springs property, surrounded by BLM land, said Loren McClure, chief operating officer. Creating a national monument will only increase the access problem, McClure predicted. "Our hands are already nearly tied now with the property we own there," he said. "We are very much concerned about this national monument." So are many local cattle ranchers who find little solace in comments by Interior Department officials that grazing will continue on the proposed monument area while the BLM completes a study to determine whether grazing will be allowed. Rancher Mike Dauenhauer, whose family has run cattle in the upper Rogue Valley for nearly half a century, fears the monument will end a way of life. Although his family has nearly 12,000 acres of grazing land immediately east of Ashland, they rely on annual BLM grazing permits in the high mountains after the bottomlands dry out each summer. "I think the whole thing has been about as un-American as anything we�ve ever done," he said. "I�m almost speechless." His family has a permit to run cattle this summer, he noted. "But as far as the future, I probably won�t be able to run cattle up there anymore," he said. "It looks like I�ll be getting rid of some cattle." Greensprings resident Denee Chic, who owns 20 acres adjacent to BLM land, is also concerned that a monument designation would halt cattle grazing on the federal land. The grazing reduces fire danger while providing healthy beef for consumers, she said. "Cattle grazing is an American institution," she said. Rowlett, who once used a permit to graze cattle on federal land but now grazes his cattle on his own land, believes the monument could result in restricted use of local private property. The Rowletts no longer rely on ranching. They are focusing on offering recreational activities such as group camping at re-created Indian villages and an Old West town, horseback riding, hiking and swimming. About 60 church groups use the site each year. They expect up to 10,000 visitors this year. "I don�t have any complaint the area is being recognized as being a great area for biodiversity," he said. "It is here. No one can deny that." The problem, as he sees it, is that there is no due process. "Under this administrative rule, all Clinton has to do is sign the paper," he said. "There is no local input. "He doesn�t care what happens to us. He wants to leave a legacy. He wants to be remembered for parks instead of for Monica. That�s the bottom line." Rowlett noted that Babbitt�s recommendation came before the June 14 deadline for public comments on the BLM�s draft management plan and draft environmental impact statement for the Cascade Siskiyou Ecological Emphasis Area, which includes most of the Soda Mountain region. The BLM�s preferred alternative in that plan recommends a 40,975-acre CSEEA while further restricting timber harvest and cattle grazing. "The problem is that what the government says is a fact today is not a fact tomorrow," Rowlett said. "Has there ever been a time when anything has loosened up on the use of federal land? No. "You cannot trust the government. Period." 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