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Soda Mountain decision nears Babbitt leans toward monument call By PAUL FATTIG Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt may urge President Clinton to create a national monument for Soda Mountain. Babbitt hinted at his preference Thursday afternoon at the end of an hour-long videoconference with a panel of local residents concerned about the area known for its ecological diversity. He said he's considering asking the president to designate Soda Mountain under the 1906 Antiquities Act. "I've leaned in that direction," he said. "The issue here is not so much the label on the land as it is the prescriptions that go with it." Under the Antiquities Act, the president can designate national monuments to protect certain historic or scientific values. Soda Mountain, a dozen miles east of Ashland near the California border, is considered by many scientists as one of the most biologically diverse in the country. Babbitt said he'll make a decision in the next couple of months. An environmental group and government officials proposed making the area a national monument. Babbitt visited the area last fall, and he held a round-table discussion on the monument proposal in Medford in mid-February. Earlier this month, the Bureau of Land Management released its draft management plan and draft environmental impact statement for the Cascade Siskiyou Ecological Emphasis Area (CSEEA) which includes most of the Soda Mountain region. The preferred alternative called for increasing the area by nearly 10,000 acres -- to 40,975 acres -- while further restricting timber harvest and cattle grazing. The size of the proposed monument has not been determined. The area has been the focus of an intense debate between environmental activists, the timber industry, ranchers, recreational users and others on how it should be managed. Environmentalists led by the Soda Mountain Wilderness Council support protecting up to 70,000 acres. During Thursday's discussion with Babbitt, Dave Hill, executive secretary of the Southern Oregon Timber Industries Association, expressed concern about the fate of thousands of acres of private land within the proposed monument. Private property owners only have to abide by state laws regarding cutting timber, said Rich Drehobl, field manager for the BLM's Ashland Resource Area. "A monument designation does not affect the private lands," Babbitt said. "It could change management practices upon the BLM portion." Restricting logging and cattle grazing will reduce biodiversity aided by such activities over the years, warned Bill Drewien, a member of the Jackson County Stockman's Association. But Steve Jessup, a Southern Oregon University biology professor who represented the Native Plant Society, said grazing has been detrimental to the area's biodiversity. Off-road groups and their opponents debated the damages and benefits of motorized vehicle use in the area. Jackson County officials are concerned about the loss of multiple use land, as well as increased fire danger caused by restricting grazing and logging, said Commissioner Sue Kupillas. "This ecological emphasis area isn't going to be worth much if it burns up," she said. She also said the social and economic impact a national monument has not been given the same emphasis as the ecological aspect. However, Dave Willis, president of Soda Mountain Wilderness Council, said the county should support the monument proposal because preserving special areas has shown to be "green as gold." Speaking by speakerphone from Washington, D.C., Dominick DellaSala, director of the World Wildlife Fund's Klamath-Siskiyou region, suggested working with ranchers to find money buy out grazing permits. "This is something the conservation community can work . . . with the private funding sector and look at a win-win instead of arguing whether grazing should occur," DellaSala said. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA