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M/CLOUDY Temp: 46 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Friday, November 22, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend June 9, 2002 The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument turns 2 years old today. Paul Hosten / Bureau of Land Management Click the photo to see a larger (31k) version; use your Back button to return to the story. Monument still evokes emotions But 2 years after it began, and with a management plan on the way, the arguments are quieter By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune GREEN SPRINGS — A monumental toddler turns 2 today. The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument was born on June 9, 2000, when President Bill Clinton proclaimed that it warranted protection because of its rich biological diversity. As monuments go, it’s not that large. It covers 52,947 acres of U.S. Bureau of Land Management land in the region where the Cascade and Siskiyou mountain ranges converge. But it was big enough to cause staunch opponents and adamant supporters to loudly question each other’s parentage. Rallies for and against the monument popped up like summer thunderheads. That hostility appears to have faded a bit, if the banner announcing "Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument" above the Green Springs Inn is any indication. "No one has destroyed my banner in a year now," said Diarmuid McGuire, owner of the inn. "Maybe everybody is calming down. I hope so." The banner atop the inn was ripped down by what he suspects were monument opponents early last year. "We’re starting to get significant numbers of people showing up now asking about the monument," he said. "It’s on the new Rand McNally map of the United States." To commemorate this fact, McGuire is contributing the use of a cabin adjacent to the inn to the Friends of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument for use as a center providing maps and information. The nonprofit group is expected to open the center later this month. Other than increasing interest in the flora and fauna of the region, little has changed since the monument was created, McGuire said. "Cattle are still out there grazing, trees are still growing, private property owners are still doing their thing," he said. But Dave Hill, executive vice president of the Southern Oregon Timber Industries Association, is equally quick to observe that those concerned about the monument haven’t tempered their apprehension. The timber industry and others will study the monument’s draft management plan when it is released this week, he said. SOTIA will continue its efforts to reduce the boundary, he said, even though such a move is beyond the scope of the plan. "We still want to revise the boundary so that it will exclude private property," he said. "We will be discussing that with the congressional delegation." The BLM repeatedly has said that private property surrounded by the monument will not be affected by it. "They say that now, but at some point in time, they will be affected," Hill said. "We want to see the boundary adjusted to exclude private land." Several of those holdings include private timberlands, he noted. "That doesn’t mean the significant features for which the monument was created have to be impacted," he added. "But we need to adjust the boundary so only the federal land is within the monument." But Bruce Sargent, owner of Buckhorn Springs retreat on the western edge of the monument, disagreed. "We’re surrounded by the monument," he said. "We’re glad we are. We get calls from Eugene, Seattle, down in the Bay area from people excited about coming to a place surrounded by the monument. We’re honored it’s here." So is Lincoln resident Dave Willis, chairman of the Soda Mountain Wilderness Council who fought long and hard for the monument. He and other supporters organized a birthday bash this evening for the monument on private property in the Green Springs area. "A year ago at this time, the Bush administration had its sights on both the boundary and the proclamation language," he said. "They had so many of their own citizens stand in front of the gun to protect the monument that they decided not to pull the trigger." Like Hill, he plans to pore over the draft management plan. "Right now, the boundaries and the proclamation language are still intact," he said. "Given the strong desire of the Bush administration to dismantle Oregon’s newest national monument, that’s worth celebrating." Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S