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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Armed robbers steal safe from Medford home White City firm probed for alleged 'scam' Get Up & Go: Nov. 16 Where to get help From loss, comes healing Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services Woman in critical condition after being struck by car in Medford Emergency services Wrap Up: Phillips homicide Brookings man gets federal prison time for gun crime Politics and Elections Latest count shows Measure 92 supporters narrowing deficit Granlund cartoon: GOP wrecking balls Ballot measures played little role in mobilizing voters in state Senate race 'Euphoria' over pot initiative Oregon voters narrowly reject GMO labeling measure Education Good news for SOU: Enrollment's up Mom gives school lobby a makeover Crater students present play about Thoreau's night in jail Half of Oregon's community college enrollees need remedial classes Marketta Gregory: Stretch yourself for God Environment Birders sought for bird counts Grow 'em before you plant 'em Since You Asked: Biomass One makes steam-generated power Organic squash creates a bountiful harvest for ACCESS Prospect-area cow death likely not a wolf kill State News Kitzhaber embattled as he seeks fourth term Nation - World Obituaries Brian Basler Mullen Helen Marie Anderson Marie Louise T. Scott Smith Delphyn Bebb Biggs Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Sports Latest Stories Pinon, Valdovinos make Skyline first team Locals make Skyline all-league teams Niner defense delivers Big plays from seniors highlight OSU upset Spartans pull off sweep in Seattle Varsity 541 College Sports Big plays from seniors highlight OSU upset Beavers check their slide and silence the critics SOU to host MidAmerican Nazarene in first round of NAIAs Eastern spoils SOU’s conference title hopes Thompson raises SOU scoring bar Pro Sports Niner defense delivers Spartans pull off sweep in Seattle Spartans pull away for victory Blazers beat Nets 97-87 without Aldridge, Batum James erupts for 41 points in Cavaliers' win Community Sports Results / Standings Business Latest Stories Latest count shows Measure 92 supporters narrowing deficit Blog: Brrrr! It's Cold Outside! Ride & Drive: 2015 Ford Expedition Family time turns into shopping time Pacific Power girds for winter woes Real Estate News Financial webinars offered for veterans and their families Home prices rise across Jackson County New I-5 interchange puts south Medford on fast lane to fast food People In Business People in Business, Nov. 8 Transportation Medford airport passenger counts sky high in October Erickson reports third quarter profit Lithia reports $34.5 million third-quarter profit Agriculture Latest count shows Measure 92 supporters narrowing deficit Revenue rises for Harry & David's parent company Where do all those leaves go? Opinion Latest Our View: Wyden's O&C bill may be the answer, or not Letters to the Editor, Nov. 16 Dana Milbank: Nancy Pelosi in denial Charles Krauthammer: The Gruber confession George Will: Adolf Eichmann's warped idealism Editorials Our View: Wyden's O&C bill may be the answer, or not Other Views: A chastened Kitzhaber must tend to business Our View: Cheers and Jeers Our view: Saigo brings an energy to SOU campus Our View: Zoning, building codes should respect fire Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Nov. 16 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 14 Letters to the editor Letters to the Editor, Nov. 12 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 11 Guest Opinions Reflections on the election in Oregon and beyond Measure 89 provides equality for women Eagle Point needs public transportation Guest Opinion: Common Core testing sets math students up for failure Guest Opinion: Campaigning and voting 'the Oregon way' Lifestyle Latest stories Colors of Fall Moth Munch Too bad Hooter can't talk Here's a hand up you can use Success of the starling Food Community blog: Pumpkin, salted caramel pair tradition, trendiness Joanna McQuillan Weeks: Jessica Fisher creates frugal, fabulous recipes Rogue-style Thanksgiving An advanced lesson in homemade mustards Community blog: Egg-rich flan is a stunner for holiday spreads Home and Garden Beyond curb appeal: When it pays to stand out Use the hidden meaning of color to enhance your home 17 things you never knew about turkeys Dear Monty: 10 tips toward a quality offer on a home How to live and work in a tiny home Health Here's a hand up you can use Community blog: Happy Holidays? Surviving and Even Thriving in the Dark Times Dr. Murray Feingold: ‘Grief is the price we pay for love’ Health Watch: Tips for post-workout recovery Community blog: Don't Fall For This Hiking Biking Faith Religion news: Seattle-based mega-church dissolves Religion Briefs 'Walk the talk' Religion briefs Christ Unity Church shows 'Gen Silent' Milestones and Achievements Ashland honey festival draws swarm of visitors Fundraiser to benefit Medford Senior Center New Arrivals The meaning behind Veterans Day Wedding: Broten-Garrett Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Thanksgiving comes early at Taprock Youth Symphony of Southern Oregon to perform two shows 'Alice in Wonderland' opens at Theatre Convivio 'Red Noses' a romp through slapstick and pathos Hawaiian slack-key guitarist Makana plays the Unitarian Theater 'Red Noses' a romp through slapstick and pathos SOU presents 'The Drunken City' The power of human spirit Review: Funny 'Lion in Winter' roars to life at Camelot Theatre Music Youth Symphony of Southern Oregon to perform two shows The Farr Side: CMA telecast was a disappointment Hawaiian slack-key guitarist Makana plays the Unitarian Rogue World Ensemble presents 'Gather 'Round' Focus on Tanya Gabrielian as Rogue Valley Symphony evokes the Baroque Community Events Review: Randall Theatre's 'Secret Garden' still enchanting Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Spookadelic Halloween Funktacular promises a lively dance party Puss 'N' Boots Costume Ball and Auction Dining Thanksgiving comes early at Taprock Word of Mouth: Brunch at Brothers' Restaurant Blue Toba is a cultural experience Back Porch Bar & Grill Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Our View: Wyden's O&C bill may be the answer, or not ... A different kind of fish feed ... Detours planned while beams placed at new Phoenix exit ... Our View: Wyden's O&C bill may be the answer, or not ... A different kind of fish feed ... Detours planned while beams placed at new Phoenix exit ... Proposed Monument Stirs Debate Opponents say it'll ruin their way of life and be a detriment to the health of the forestland HORSE CREEK, Calif. — Looking south from near the crest of the Siskiyou Mountains into the Horse Creek drainage his family has called home for 135 years, Gary Rainey sees more than evergreen forests. By Paul Fattig MailTribune.com By Paul Fattig Posted Jun. 27, 2010 @ 12:01 am By Paul Fattig Posted Jun. 27, 2010 @ 12:01 am » RELATED CONTENT • Proponents: It'll protect habitat and won't affect privat... » Social News HORSE CREEK, Calif. — Looking south from near the crest of the Siskiyou Mountains into the Horse Creek drainage his family has called home for 135 years, Gary Rainey sees more than evergreen forests. "This land is our way of life, literally our heart and soul," he said. "Our cattle have been running (grazing) here since 1875, same strain of cattle on the same land. We raised our food from the garden. We raised the hay to feed the cattle. Everything we do is about keeping this place healthy." He pointed to a distant area far below where Middle Creek and Horse Creek join before flowing into the Klamath River. "Our bodies consume the water and minerals that come out of these mountains — this land is us," said Rainey, 62, an Army veteran of the Vietnam War who lives on ranchland settled by his great-grandfather from Ireland. "And it just tears your heart out that this could be taken away," added the former logger. He and his cousin, Steve Fisher, are outspoken among Siskiyou County residents in their opposition to a proposed 600,000-acre Siskiyou Crest National Monument they fear would change their lifestyle and degrade the land. During a tour Wednesday of a southern portion of the proposed area where the Klamath forest and private forestlands form a checkerboard pattern, the cousins and others who gathered expressed their concerns that a monument would impact private property adjacent to the federal lands, resulting in decreased timber harvest from both, as well as reduced mining and motorized recreational opportunities. The bottom line, they said, is that the region boasts a healthy environment, largely because of a local lifestyle practiced over generations. "This is about our livelihood," said Fisher, standing on a ridge about 15 air miles southeast of the southern tip of Oregon's Applegate Lake. "This forest provides our economy," he said. "It's also where we go to hunt and fish. It's where we go to get wood. It's where we go to make a living, where we raise our kids. Our ancestors passed it down to us. We pass it on down to our kids. But we stand to lose it all if it becomes a monument." Proposed a year ago by the Ashland-based Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center, the monument would stretch out along the Oregon-California state line. It would link the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument to the Oregon Caves National Monument and the Siskiyou Wilderness Area near Happy Camp. Rising up to 7,000 feet above sea level along the crest, it would dip down into the Rogue, Applegate and Klamath river watersheds. Proponents say the monument would include existing federal land in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, the Klamath National Forest and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's Medford District. Since it was first proposed last July, the monument has been opposed by the timber industry, miners and off-road vehicle enthusiasts on both sides of the state line. The Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution 4-1 last summer opposing it, citing what it said would be a dramatic downturn in an already struggling economy. In Oregon, the Jackson County Board of Commissioners in a 2-1 vote in April joined its counterparts in Josephine, Klamath, Douglas and Deschutes counties in approving an order urging the federal government to halt attempts to place more restrictions on public lands until the county and other stakeholders get a chance to weigh in. Specifically, the commissioners were concerned a presidential proclamation could create a monument with little public input. In May, Rocky Reeser, a member of the Multiuse Trail Coalition of Jackson County, submitted a petition to the county commissioners signed by more than 3,000 off-road vehicle advocates opposing the monument, as well as a proposed wilderness adjacent to Crater Lake National Park. The Siskiyou County residents gathered Wednesday said they support efforts to protect the environment, but believe monumental protection would not achieve that goal because it would decrease management such as forest thinning. "My dad was a gyppo logger who logged a lot of this country up here — put a lot of the roads in — and made a good livelihood out of here for 50 some years," said Fisher, 60, referring to a term used for loggers who traditionally logged land owned by others. During the tour, he pulled his four-wheel-drive Ford pickup sporting a "No Monument!" bumper sticker to the side of the logging road to point out a forest reborn. "This was all logged a long time ago but the trees have come back," he said. "This is all natural reforestation. And it's ready to be logged again." However, like much of the local forestland, it needs to be thinned to reduce the threat of a catastrophic fire, he said. "This is a fire danger," he said. "What you've got here is nothing but ladder fuel. That fire will climb right up through those trees." The forestland needs to be managed to reduce fire danger and improve forest health, an activity that wouldn't happen under monument management, he said. Of the more than 300,000 acres of federal land in Siskiyou County, about 205,000 acres already are protected by various special designations, observed Danielle Lindler, 36, a forester who also is the executive director of the Klamath Alliance for Resources & Environment. "If there is already this additional designation that limits harvesting, what is the true objective of this monument?" she asked. "KS Wild says they want to promote commercial thinning, but what is going to change under monument designation that is not occurring already?" The county produces about eight times more timber than is harvested, she said, citing federal and private statistics. Like Fisher, she is concerned that monument protection would reduce management, including commercial thinning, thus making the area ripe for large wildfires or insect infestation. Looking at the forest, she observed that more variety is needed, such as open canopies. "We are losing meadows because of encroachment by the forest," she said. "But you would never be able to reintroduce open canopy forest situations. Deer and elk and other wildlife need those open areas for their ecological niche. If that happens in watershed after watershed, that's not a biological benefit." Former logger Tony Bishop, 54, now retired from a telephone company and owner of a small ranch in nearby Seiad Valley, agrees with the others that a monument would threaten their way of life. "My son works in the woods and my son-in-law works for the county road department," he said. "They are trying to make it here. But we have exported our youth and we've exported most of our private sector jobs here. This would further decimate the community." Mike Adams, 60, a retired carpenter who owns 164 acres abutting the national forestland, believes a monument would have a negative impact on adjacent property owners. "My property was logged a long time ago and needs to be thinned," he said, adding he is concerned he won't be able to manage his forestland if the monument is created. "This land is unique but it doesn't deserve the punishment of a national monument," Adams said. Rainey said families have lived in the region in harmony with the mountains for generations. "We would protect this land with our lives," said Rainey, whose grandsons are the seventh generation connected to the land. "I don't often open up my Achilles' heel, but I did two tours of Vietnam," he added. "When I came home, this valley — this land — was the only thing that brought me back to sanity." He stopped talking to take a long look down at the valley. "I still come up here," he said softly, adding, "It still helps." Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 541-776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected]. By Paul Fattig MailTribune.com By Paul Fattig Posted Jun. 27, 2010 @ 12:01 am » 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. calendar Connect with MailTribune.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 Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs 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 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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