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Monument panel hit by 'slam dunk' decision By PAUL FATTIG Lu Anthony now wonders whether all those meetings over the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument were an exercise in futility. "It was never a slam dunk for the committee as some people thought it would be," said Anthony, of the Jackson County Natural Resources Advisory Committee. "But it might as well have been, because it was always a slam dunk for the commissioners. "They talked about fairness and balance, but it turned out to be a slam dunk for them," added the coordinator of the Little Butte Creek Watershed Council. Anthony feels the commissioners largely ignored the recommendations the NRAC made concerning the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument after a series of public meetings and hours of debate. But committee member Paul Kangas, who signed on to one of two minority reports, felt the commissioners had considered the group's input. "I thought it was a reasoned approach," said the retired federal forester who is now a forestry consultant. "But I think there is a lot more to be discussed." Both were reacting to recommendations by the commissioners to reduce by some two-thirds the size of the 52,947-acre monument on the Bureau of Land Management's Medford District. Commissioners Jack Walker and Ric Holt recommended it be cut to about 16,500 acres, while board chair Sue Kupillas recommended a slightly larger version. The commissioners will make a final decision on their recommendation at 3 p.m. Monday in the Jackson Room of the Jackson County Courthouse, 10 S. Oakdale Ave., Medford. Interior Secretary Gale Norton had asked for the commissioners' recommendation on the monument created by former President Clinton using the 1906 Antiquities Act. In turn, the commissioners sought advice from the 17-member NRAC. The majority report submitted by the committee, which met over five days, made no boundary recommendation because there was no consensus on the issue, said committee member and facilitator John Dutcher. However, a minority report, signed by four members, recommended no boundary change. A second minority report, turned in two days after the first and signed by seven committee members, recommended reducing the boundary to include only about 19,500 acres of federal land. Located a dozen miles southeast of Ashland, the monument's center is Soda Mountain, which rises to more than 6,000 feet above sea level. Scientists have cited the region for having uniquely rich biological diversity. But it also has been the center of a hot debate between proponents and opponents. Each side has gathered a list of property owners adjacent to the monument who agreed with its stance. Those who support the current size of the monument believe it is necessary to protect the area's unique features as well as boost local economy through tourism. But others say the estimated 30,000 acres of adjacent private land, some of which is encircled by federal land, is part of the monument, an argument continually denied by BLM officials. Norton has postponed releasing the BLM's draft plan for managing the monument pending a full review by her staff. That plan was completed last spring. Committee member Ken Cummings, a forester for the Boise Cascade Corp., which has timberlands adjacent the monument, was satisfied with the commissioners' recommendations. Cummings signed on with the second minority report. "I thought the whole thing was pretty reasonable, particularly as far as the process went," he said, adding that a monument in the realm of about 20,000 acres would be acceptable to him. Although he noted that claims about private lands being threatened by a government land grab were a "hysteria plea" by monument opponents, he agreed with those who felt management on adjacent federal land will impact private land. "If a fire breaks out, no one writes a check to us for the timber we will have lost," he said. "Right now, it's so overstocked and overcrowded up there. "Our biggest issue is the impacts to private land, make sure there is no bleed-over," he added. "We have to be able to manage our lands." Committee member Bill Drewien, a retired rancher who also signed the second minority report, agreed. "Considering all the issues - private land, fire, multiple use - they've come up with a good recommendation," he said of the commissioners. "The opposition supported a monument. They just wanted a smaller one." But committee member J.D. Rogers, an Applegate Valley resident, didn't expect the commissioners' reaction. "I was rather surprised the commissioners took the smallest recommendation that came out," he said. "I was shocked it was that small." He had turned in a one-page report which was included in the majority report. He had called for scientists to settle the boundary issue. "I think they missed a good opportunity to reach out to both sides," Rogers added. "This is just another political boundary. The first one was political. So is this one." But neither he nor Anthony, who signed on to both the first minority report as well as Rogers', plan to quit the committee. "They need a burr under their saddle blanket and I'm the self-appointed burr," Anthony said. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.