Monuments and PROPOSED NATIONAL MONUMENTS IN AND
AROUND THE KLAMATH RIVER BASIN

 

MODOC PLATEAU

Massive National Monuments are being proposed for Modoc/Klamath/Siskiyou areas. Our president can designate these areas with no vote of the people, limiting private access and resource uses. Here is the Modoc Plateau map.

CASCADE - SISKIYOU National Monument

Judge says O&C lands in Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument can be cut, H&N 11/28/19

U.S. interior chief recommends changes on some protected lands, H&N 8/25/17.  "...Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced Thursday he won’t seek to rescind any national monuments carved from the wilderness and oceans by past presidents...Twenty-seven monuments were put under review in April by President Donald Trump, who has charged that the millions of acres designated for protection by President Barack Obama were part of a “massive federal land grab..." “The eco-tourists basically say, ‘Throw out all the rubes and the locals and get rid of that mentality of grazing and utilizing these public lands for any kind of renewable resource such as timber harvesting and even some mineral production,’” Noel said. “That’s a very selfish attitude.”

Interior Secretary Zinke to meet with local (Klamath Falls) officials Saturday, (regarding Obama's monument expansion, OC&E land act, and water negotiations,) 7/14/17

***Secretary Zinke Requests Comments on National Monument Designations Made Since 1996, OFS, 5/12/17. (includes Cascade-Siskiyou expansion)
***
View Federal Register Notice with List of National Monuments Subject to Review
***Cascade-Siskiyou Monument Myths and Facts, by American Forest Resource Council May 2017
***Wyden and Merkley Push Back Against Trump's National Monument Review, OFS, 5/12/17

Monument expansion riles Klamath commission; The expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, announced by President Barack Obama Thursday, will also encompass all of Hyatt Lake, H&N 1/14/17.

DOI Press Release: Secretary Jewell Applauds President’s Designation of the National Monuments to Preserve Pivotal Civil Rights Sites and the First National Monument to Civil War Reconstruction; (Jewell) Also Praises President’s Expansion of Existing National Monuments Protecting Natural & Cultural Resources in California & Oregon (Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument) 1/12/17. LINK includes Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument expansion Fact Sheet:
*" these areas represent approximately 48,000 acres of public lands – 42,349 in Oregon, and 5,275 in California."
* "... is closed to new extractive uses such as mining and oil and gas development..."
* "...prohibits all motorized and mechanized vehicle use off road."
* "...if grazing is found incompatible with protecting the objects of biological interest, the Secretary of the Interior will retire the grazing allotments pursuant to the processes of applicable law. Finally, it provides that if grazing permits or leases are relinquished by existing holders, the Secretary will not reallocate the forage available under those permits or for grazing purposes..."
* "...prohibits the commercial harvest of timber, expect when part of an authorized science-based ecological restoration project..."

Monument expansion riles Klamath commission; The expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, announced by President Barack Obama Thursday, will also encompass all of Hyatt Lake, H&N 1/14/17.

Doug Whitsett

Expand Cascades Siskiyou Monument? No — Obama legacy quest to be at Klamath's expense, by Oregon Senator Doug Whitsett 12/4/16. "(Obama's) intent is to create three Oregon National Monuments...The federal government already owns nearly 53 percent of Oregon. His proposed monuments would lock up an area equivalent to two-thirds of the entire land mass of Klamath County...His latest effort is a 53,000-acre expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Jackson and Klamath counties...Monument designation will eliminate about five million board feet of annual timber harvest from those O&C lands just in Klamath County. It will also prohibit livestock grazing on 83 square miles of multiple use public land...support amounts to advocating for the exclusion of forest harvest, forest management, wildfire control, livestock grazing and public access, all at the expense of our rural economies..." Contact Senators Merkley and Wyden.

(Klamath County)  Commissioners join opposition to monument expansion, H&N 11/9/16. "(Klamath County) Commissioners have (unanimously) voted to oppose expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument after local residents showed overwhelming resistance to the proposal...The proposal, put forward by Sen. Jeff Merkley, would add 66,500 acres to the 66,000-acre monument, including 19,000 acres in Klamath County.
Comments on expansion due Nov. 20: comments on the potential Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument expansion can submit comments online to www.merkley.senate.gov/contact , or by mail to Sen. Jeff Merkley, 10 S. Bartlett St., Suite 201, Medford, OR 97501.

Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument proposed expansion hearingCascade-Siskiyou monument expansion (Klamath Falls) hearing draws many voices, H&N 11/2/16. "The crowd overflowed from the commissioners’ meeting room into the government center hallways...(7) elected officials and candidates for elective office...opposed, noted reduction in timber harvests, grazing allotments, improper land management resulting in increased fire risk, federal government overreach and closures preventing public access to lands as cause to halt further expansion of the monument. Additionally several letters and emails were summarized by Commissioner Tom Mallams, the majority of those received opposed to the expansion...It is under these same executive branch powers that Merkley, along with Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden and other supporters, hope will result in a recommendation by Department of the Interior Secretary Sally Jewell to President Barack Obama to expand the monument’s size to further protect forests, biodiversity and watersheds..."

Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument expansion letter by Rex Cozzalio to Klamath County Commissioners 10/30/16

Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument expansion proposal TOWNHALL Nov 1, 6 p.m. in Klamath County Commissioners boardroom

CORRECTION!! Monument expansion COMMENTS DUE to Senator Merkley and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell by Sunday, November 20, 2016!  November 20 is Sunday, so be safe and get them to your Klamath Commissioners by November 17, Thursday, so they can send them to Oregon Senator Merkley and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and others before the weekend.
SEND COMMENTS
 to: Klamath County Board of Commissioners, 305 Main St., Klamath Falls, OR 97603, or email: BOCC@klamathcounty.org
Monument expansion sets local hearing; Opinions sought on proposal to double size of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, H&N 10/30/16.

Monument expansion sets local hearing; Opinions sought on proposal to double size of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, H&N 10/30/16.

PRESS RELEASE: LaMalfa Expresses Opposition to Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument Expansion Proposal 10/28/16. “Any expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument would not only negatively impact private property rights, public access and forest management, but would occur over the objections of local residents..." 

Commissioners set town hall on monument expansion, H&N 10/26/16 (6 p.m. Nov. 1 in the commissioners’ boardroom), followed by Monument expansion sets local hearing; Opinions sought on proposal to double size of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.  “ 'I want everyone to have the opportunity to speak their mind,' said Klamath County Commissioner Tom Mallams. 'We were left out in Klamath County, we want to make sure all interested parties have a chance to speak'....Mallams cited concerns such as forest management practices ceasing that will add to potential fire fuels, elimination or reduction of grazing allotments, water rights issues and timber harvest reductions that could all have negative impacts on local economies."
To KBC News from Dr. John Menke regarding the BLM and Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument proposal 10/30/16. (BLM Range expert) said monitoring was being done by an enviro group not himself—the only real range conservationist person trained and on the BLM staff in Medford.  Boy is that a loaded cannon for stopping livestock grazing.  A strong monitoring program is what keeps livestock on the public land..." Dr. John Menke biography, retired professor and range ecologist, rancher, involved in the Klamath Basin Watershed.

Jackson County to host Cascade-Siskiyou Monument meeting THURSDAY, H&N 10/22/16. "...(Oregon Democrat) Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden have proposed expanding the 16-year-old monument...The 90,328 acres proposed for expansion within Oregon includes 56,245 acres of Bureau of Land Management land, including Hyatt Lake and land surrounding Howard Prairie Lake, as well as chunks of the upper watersheds of Jenny Creek tributaries whose lower reaches are now part of the monument..."Here is a link to the Monument expansion: http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/heraldandnews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/57/757374df-cb64-53c4-b1f7-04467660792b/580563c180e30.pdf.pdf 

Mallams calls for hearing on monument expansion, COMMENTS DUE, H&N 10/19/16. "The expansion proposed by Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, would double the size of the monument — which includes land in Klamath and Jackson counties in Oregon and Siskiyou County in California — to more than 100,000 acres and would incorporate 56,245 acres of forestland administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)..."

Klamath County Commissioner Tom Mallams letter to Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley opposing Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument expansion 10/14/16. "...The 2.1 million acres Owyhee Canyonlands, the 500,000 Crater Lake Wilderness Area, and now the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument expansion are just some of the recent attempts to expand this gigantic overreach in our area. If this proposal moves forward, the economic impact will be devastating for Klamath County and our neighbors Jackson and Siskiyou Counties..."

No Monument rally with Congressman Herger, Yreka 2/25/11

Board expected to hear national monument concerns, Siskiyou Daily News 4/22/10

Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument Resource Management Plan, posted to KBC 4/22/10

Feinstein urges Obama to bypass Congress to create 3 California monuments in desert, Orange County Register 8/23/15

 

National Monument designations articles, letters and Press Releases

Judge Defends Obama Expansion Of Oregon National Monument, FM News 101 KXL 4/3/19. "Murphy Co. and Murphy Timber Investments LLC brought one of three lawsuits against Obama’s expansion of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, arguing that part of the expanded area was reserved for timber production." Obama nearly doubled the monument’s size to more than 150 square miles. "Kristen Boyles, an attorney for Earthjustice which was one of the defendant-intervenors in the case, said she was grateful." KBC Note: George Soros is a multibillionaire whose goal is One World Order. His financial support goes to litigation (Earthjustice) for most of the NGOs /Non Governmental Agencies (environmental groups) at the secret Klamath KBRA negotiation table. Go HERE for our Who's Who Page.

Tule Lake Unit, WWII Valor in the Pacific Redesignated as Tule Lake National Monument, NPS Press Release 3/25/19

Name change likely to Tule Lake National Monument, H&N 3/6/19. KBC NOTE: The Tule Lake Committee has already helped obtain more than 1300 acres for their current designation of World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, honoring the Japanese living in America who were relocated to the Tulelake Relocation facility for four years until WWII was over. For more than a decade they have continued to sue the Tulelake Airport, City of Tulelake and Modoc County to shut down our airport that services 40,000 square miles, so they could acquire that land also to tell their story. See our Tulelake vs Japanese Controversy Page.

Lava Beds re-designation effort resuming, H&N 7/4/18. 

A recurring theme was the fear the Japanese-American group opposing fencing of the Tulelake Airport might try to incorporate expansion of the Tule Lake Unit of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument with legislation re-designating Lava Beds...The committee recently refiled a lawsuit against Modoc County for plans to develop a fence around the Tule Lake Airport."  "Mickey Gimmel, Pit River Tribe chairman, mostly focused his sometimes angry comments on concerns about the Medicine Lake Highlands, which border the park and have been considered for geothermal development. “You better take us seriously and talk to us,” he barked. “We can be in opposition or we could be with you.”

EXECUTIVE ORDER: REVIEW OF DESIGNATIONS UNDER THE ANTIQUITIES ACT by President Donald Trump 4/26/17. "The review of monuments to reverse goes back 10 years and designations must have been over 100,000 acres.  Congressman LaMalfa will be meeting with Secretary Zinke April 26,"  LaMalfa rep Erin Ryan.
President Obama's expansion of National Monuments in Oregon and California January 2017

Lava Beds deserves to be a national park, H&N 4/16/17. "...The National Park Service is also adding another historical aspect to the local area with development of the Tule Lake Unit of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, which is being administered by personnel at the Lava Beds. It will include remnants of the Tule Lake Segregation Center and Camp Tulelake, in which Japanese Americans were forcibly interned after World War II began...."

Lava Beds tour May 10, 2 pm regarding National Monument designation change

Signs of change: Congressional aides visit Lava Beds, H&N, 4/13/17: "...ongoing efforts to rally Congressional support for having Lava Beds redesignated as a national park...a second meeting is planned for 2 p.m., May 10, again beginning at the Tulelake-Butte Valley Fairgrounds office in Tulelake, with a longer tour of Lava Beds, possibly including a cave visit..."

Counties sue to overturn monument expansion, followed by Two lumber companies sue over monument expansion H&N,  2/17/17. "Filed Monday in federal court in Washington, D.C., the suit claims former President Barack Obama did not have the authority to include roughly 48,000 acres of designated timberland in the expansion, which affected land in Klamath and Jackson counties in Oregon, and Siskiyou County in California."

Groups seek changes in how national monuments begin, CFBF AgAler 1/18/17.

National Park Service staff step up campaign against Trump, H&N, posted to KBC 2/4/17. "The National Park Service employees’ Twitter campaign against President Donald Trump spread to other parks on Wednesday, with tweets on climate change and a reminder that Japanese Americans were forcibly interned in camps and parks during World War II..."

Obama designates two national monuments, outrages Republicans, Fox News 12/29/16. "The Bears Ears National Monument in Utah will cover 1.35 million acres in the Four Corners region...The president also announced a 300,000-acre Gold Butte National Monument outside Las Vegas...Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes said his office is planning a lawsuit over the issue. 'It is extremely disappointing that President Obama has declared another national monument here in Utah, ignoring the voices of so many in our state, particularly those closest to the designated space,...“By significantly restricting access to a large portion of public lands in Utah, the President weakens land management capabilities and fails to protect those the Antiquities Act intended to benefit.' "

Jewell: 'Major Course Correction' Needed on Conservation, ABC News 4/20/16. "Climate change — the most pressing issue of our time — threatens our land and water in existential ways...need to ensure that when a diverse class of fourth-graders does visit a national park, "they see ... signs in their first language," Jewell said..."...calling for more parks and historic sites focused on women, minorities and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender groups..."

* COMMENT BY Dec 31 - Fee increases proposed at Lava Beds National Monument. Public feedback will play major role in decision-making process, H&N, posted to KBC 12/7/14

Oregon Caves bill goes to U.S. House. U.S. Senate passes measure unanimously on Wednesday, H&N, posted to KBC 7/16/14. "The Congress is again considering legislation to expand the Oregon Caves National Monument nearly tenfold....Logging and other operations allowed on Forest Service lands are banned on Park Service holding..."

California Coastal National Monument grows; House GOP member criticizes Obama’s action, H&N 3/12/14

ACTION ALERT - Another Big Green power player moves up in Obama's Washington, Washington Examiner, posted to KBC 11/27/13. "Those two large agencies have a track record of appalling behavior that ranges from massively coercing private property away from thousands of owners, to faking science for new regulations, to cozy sue-and-settle lawsuits with not-so-former green group colleagues." "Urgent: Call Your Senators Today To Stop Rhea Sun Suh Green Grab!"

Tule Lake meetings continue; Public input sought on management of the National Monument Unit / Japaneese Relocation Camp from WWII, H&N 7/16/13. We were told there will be no more public input meetings in the Tulelake area regarding this 1400+ acre land acquisition.

It's more than ranchers who oppose 600,000 acre monument, Sun News, posted to KBC 8/22/12. "It is ranching combined with border security and flood control that has resulted in the widespread opposition to these proposals...Border security is an issue because the environmental designations would either prevent or restrict law enforcement activity." Found in a monument were, "...160 abandoned vehicles, 110 bicycles, 24 tons of trash, 27,000 pounds of marijuana, 1,200 illegal aliens, miles of illegal roads and "acres of plastic water bottles, coats, backpacks and other items cast off after trekking for days from the U.S.-Mexican border to rendezvous points 75 miles to the north."

Dams and a monument: ‘We feel squeezed here’, H&N by Shirley Fisher 2/17/12. "It was  a great life in those days and things were busy along the river — there were  miners and loggers, everyone seemed to have a job, city folk had summer homes in  the area.”..."The Siskiyou Monument proposal, if passed, would  set aside more than 500,000 acres of land between the Klamath River and Siskiyou  Crest, limiting access"..."Fisher is concerned about the possibility of greater  frequency of flooding if the dams come out.  With the prospect of dam removal and the proposed  500,000-acre Siskiyou Monument, she wonders what the future holds."

Monument legislation discussed at hearing, testimony by U.S. Congressman Wally Herger 11/15/11. "Obama Administration intends to use this authority to lock up more than thirteen million acres of federal land from multiple-use access. In a time of high unemployment, this would lock even more American jobs away."

California Public Hearing on Public Lands Access by U.S. Congressman Tom McClintock, 1/15/11

9/15/11 - U.S. Congressman Wally Herger testimony: Monument Legislation Discussed at Hearing: "In the Northern California Congressional District I represent, the federal government owns a significant amount of the land, with it reaching as high as 75% in one county. Local communities collect no taxes from these lands, money that could go to schools and roads. The federal government is also unable to manage it properly. Now the Obama Administration is talking about increasing the number of presidentially-designated national monuments...."

Big Picture Part 3: The Re-Wilding of Siskiyou County, by Siskiyou County Supervisor Marcia Armstrong 5/20/11. "Roadless areas, Wilderness bills, National Monuments, Wild and Scenic Rivers designations, “Travel management Plans,” the new Dept. of Interior “Wild Lands” policy and President Obama’s “Treasured Landscapes” agenda are all efforts to re-wild large core areas. http://users.sisqtel.net/armstrng/monument.htm"
The Big Picture part 2, by Siskiyou County Supervisor Marcia Armstrong, posted to KBC 5/14/11. Armstrong documents how the UN and ICNU, with designated roadless areas and wilderness areas, were formed to shut down human use of land and resources in the Klamath River Basin.
Here is the link for Armstrong's research on Agenda 21 Rewilding or HEREThe Big Picture Part I, by Marcia Armstrong, Siskiyou County Supervisor, posted to KBC 5/11/11. "I was struck by a sentence in the recent “chinook expert panel” report commissioned for the dam removal studies. It said: “Furthermore, the refuges should be managed for fish and wildlife versus agriculture if the basin management objective is rehabilitation of fish species.” Just when did the citizens of Siskiyou County agree to an over-riding regional “management objective”of fish rehabilitation? Just who signed the orders relegating us to serfdom, putting our private property and livelihoods in the service of fish production and those who harvest fish? What happened to our own economic priorities – to the development of our local natural resources to create food, fiber and mineral products for the benefit of our families, communities and nation."

Committee to Hold Oversight Hearing on Interior Department’s “Wild Lands” Policy, Natural Resources Committee, posted to KBC 2/25/11. "The Wild Lands policy expressly circumvents Congress’ statutory authority to establish Wilderness areas.  ... the public’s access to public lands can be limited or halted entirely – impacting our economy, jobs, recreation opportunities and American energy production.  Millions of acres of multi-use land in the West are at risk of being locked-up if the Administration carries out this policy.”

Cancel my three subscriptions, Sunset, by Shirley Fisher, Siskiyou Daily News 11/15/10. "You have now decided to go into politics with your support of the environmentalist movements trying to create the Siskiyou Crest Monument..."

Wyden says he'll oppose any secret monument plan, Mercury News, posted to KBC 11/17/10

Rep. McClintock's remarks on H.Res. 1254, 3:43-minute video. (KBC Summary: President Obama wants to put 3 million acres of Modoc and Lassen counties into Modoc Plateau National Monument. In May 2010 Modoc County unemployment was 18.2%, 60% of the land is controlled by the government. The designation would end use of natural resources: grazing, timber and minerals, further devastating the counties. Interior is withholding 2016 pages of documents to Congress, with contributions by several gov't agencies.)

* Proposed National Monument Page by Marcia Armstrong, Siskiyou County Supervisor. Armstrong has compiled an abundance of information on Proposed Monuments in Siskiyou County.

Meeting on proposed Siskiyou Crest National Monument 10/22/10. Coming to a neighborhood near you! See map and what you can do.

Lava Beds National Monument  GMP Public Meetings Planned Today Oct 6, Tulelake. Deadline for public input on their vast plans is Nov 30, 2010

They think a sign saying ‘no (Siskiyou) monument’ is angry? by Judy Bushy, Siskiyou Daily 10/26/10
Unhappy Camp, North Coast Journal, posted to KBC 10/20/10. Environmentalist story about Happy Camp's attitude toward Wildlands Project creating Siskiyou Crest National Monument where these rural people make a living. Read the comments. "Most of you come from cities where you flattened, paved, and raped the land of every living thing in sight. Lived in houses made of wood, were educated on books made of paper, and wiped your asses with toilet paper. Then you come out here, where the land was actually managed and people coexist with nature."

Letter to Senator Jason Atkinson from Jim Nolan regarding Siskiyou Pacific Crest Monument, posted to KBC 9/3/10.

Proposed National Monuments, by  Marcia Armstrong, posted to KBC 8/17/10: 2 articles. "There are 75,454 acres of private lands in the proposed Siskiyou Crest Monument...According to testimony given at the Monument hearing, many private lands within the monument were targeted for acquisition through “willing sellers."
Proposed Modoc Plateau National Monument, video by LA Times, posted to KBC 8/17/10.
Proposed Cascade Siskiyou National Monument expansion video

BLM's Vision for Treasured Landscapes (they want 130 million acres more of your public and private land), including millions of acres in Modoc and Siskiyou Counties. NOT FOR PUBLIC RELEASE, posted 8/12/10

No more wilderness or National Monuments. "Happy Camp is already surrounded by wilderness areas and prime wildfire dangers.  Don't make it worse!," by Karuk Tribal member James Waddell, 5/28/10

Govt met with environmentalists on land protection, posted to KBC 5/21/10

PRESS RELEASE: Greg Walden wants local input on federal land decisions, 5/4/10

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Notice of hearing to determine cession of criminal jurisdiction to the United States over land know as Lava Beds National Monument, comments by Oct. 6.

 

 

 

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