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Kupillas goes her own way on monument�s boundary Tense meeting ends with 2 county letters going to Interior chief By dani dodge To the dismay of Jackson County Commissioner Jack Walker, Gale Norton will get two recommendations from the commissioners about the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument boundary. The board majority � Walker and Ric Holt � wrote a letter to Secretary of the Interior Norton recommending that the monument be cut by two-thirds, to 16,580 acres. Commissioner Sue Kupillas, though, penned a separate letter, recommending a larger monument with a boundary of 26,416 acres, about half the size approved by then-President Bill Clinton. Walker said only the majority opinion should be sent to Norton on official county letterhead. "For you to send a copy of your letter suggesting we should have anything other than what we suggest as a majority would be a disgrace to this county," Walker told Kupillas Monday during a meeting held to approve the letter. He suggested she was doing it only for political gain. Kupillas disagreed. "This is not for any political reason," she said sharply. "You�ve heard me over and over again say that I won�t run for office again and I don�t have any political future and that�s a low blow. "I have the right to say what I want and I will. ... And I will do it under the letterhead." After the confrontational meeting, Kupillas and Walker headed to their offices to fax letters to Norton. It was a rare moment of acrimony among board members, who usually vote the same way and even when they don�t, usually politely agree to disagree. But the boundary of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument has caused deep divisions since it was first proposed. Clinton created the 52,947-acre monument on land on and around Soda Mountain southeast of Ashland in June 2000. The monument is at the convergence of the geologically young Cascade Range and the older Siskiyou Mountains. The plan raised controversy in part because it not only borders 30,000 acres of private land but also surrounds islands of private lands within its borders. In March, Norton asked the commission for local input on the monument. The 17-member Jackson County Natural Resources Advisory Committee held three public hearings on the issue. But even after 14 hours of deliberation, the committee was unable to get a majority of members to agree to any one boundary recommendation. They wrote nine minority reports. Wednesday, Walker proposed the 16,580-acre monument, which is smaller than any of the committee�s recommendations. It excludes from the monument any area that surrounds private properties. Holt urged that the monument be completely dissolved, but ultimately agreed to Walker�s proposal. Kupillas� recommendation stretches from the west side of Interstate 5 to the Box O Ranch, including the ecologically sensitive Jenny Creek area. "I believe the ... proposal to be the best compromise if we are to continue to preserve the environmental values in the monument, yet find social and economic balance," she said in her letter to Norton. Walker tried several ways to make a motion to prevent Kupillas from sending her letter on county stationary to Norton, but was stymied by county counsel Mike Jewett, who noted that the motions would be difficult to enforce. "This is a unique decision because it has no legal effect," Jewett said. "It�s advisory. It�s different than a contract or a legal decision .... where no one can act except a majority." Holt told Kupillas it would be "in better taste" for her to send the letter on personal stationery, because putting it on county stationery made the county appear "discombobulated." She refused, saying Norton is well acquainted with dealing with varied opinions. Kupillas became so angry during the session that, as chairwoman of the board, she remained silent when Walker asked repeatedly to speak. Eventually, Walker simply spoke up. Later, he angrily attacked media coverage of the monument issue. He criticized a Mail Tribune editorial and shook a recent copy of Time magazine that featured a story about the monument. "The numbers (of letters) show the majority of people don�t support the monument," Walker said. "... We have to question why the media only prints the most ridiculous lies in the world." One side of the auditorium erupted in clapping and cheers. The other side of the audience booed. Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.