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47 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, May 11, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend April 22, 2004 Study group will examine grazing Subcommittee was formed to review use of monument land to support cattle By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune A review of cattle grazing on the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument begins Friday with an orientation meeting of a newly formed study group. The eight-member group is a subcommittee of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s southwest Oregon and Klamath provincial advisory committees. The subcommittee will meet from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the BLM’s Medford District office, 3040 Biddle Road. The public is invited, but no comment will be taken. Subsequent meetings of the group, which represents a broad spectrum of society, will include opportunities for public comment, said Howard Hunter, assistant monument manager. Meetings are scheduled throughout the summer, he added. Advertisement A draft grazing study was completed in 2001, followed by an extended public comment period. An updated draft version is expected to be available in about a month. The new group will review the study and make recommendations to the BLM. "The working group will help decide what studies for our grazing study are appropriate," Hunter explained, adding the subcommittee isn’t expected to make its recommendations until late September. A final decision on the monument grazing study won’t be made for another three to four years, he said. Several Oregon State University professors who have expertise in a variety of sciences are reviewing the updated draft study now, Hunter said. During Friday’s meeting, BLM specialists will present background information on the monument as well as the BLM’s process for making grazing decisions, he said. The agency has hired two facilitators to ensure the meetings run smoothly. The subcommittee’s membership represents a diversity of interests, from environmental to cattle ranching, Hunter noted. The group includes Medford area resident Gene Bowling, who represents off-highway vehicle users; Romain Cooper, an environmental activist in the Illinois Valley; Rose Mary Davis of Talent, a conservation representative; Robert Horton, an environmental sociologist; Cate Hartzell, a member of the Ashland City Council; John Roth, representing the National Park Service; Ed Kupillas, a cattle rancher and chairman of the Jackson County Natural Resource Advisory Committee (NRAC); and Mark Grenbember, a member of the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board. The monument was created by President Clinton in June 2000. The monument covers 52,940 acres of BLM forestlands where the Cascade, Siskiyou and Klamath mountain ranges intersect with Soda Mountain as its centerpiece. In the monument proclamation, the BLM was directed to do a study to determine whether grazing is compatible with the monument’s purpose. The monument was established to protect the unique flora and fauna in the region, which scientists say is a rich biological crossroads. In addition to biological resources, that protection also included geological, hydrological, archaeological and historic resources. The area has been used as open range by local ranchers for more than a century for high-mountain grazing when the lowlands dry up each summer. Eleven ranchers currently hold grazing leases within the monument for 2,714 AUMs (animal unit months). An AUM is the amount of forage needed to support one cow or a one cow/calf pair for a month. However, under the monument proclamation, if present grazing practices are found incompatible with the monument’s mission, the BLM would consider modifying the leases to achieve compatibility or retire the grazing allotments. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times