December 10, 2019 3:40 a.m.
The Association of O&C Counties is seeking support from the Oregon congressional delegation for reestablishment of the part of the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument that was declared illegal by a federal judge in Washington D.C.
Executive Director Rocky McVay said the monument near the Oregon/California border was expanded in early 2017 by a proclamation of President Barack Obama. McVay said on November 25th of this year, Judge Richard Leon ruled the proclamation was inconsistent with the O&C Act and is therefore illegal. AOCC was one of the plaintiffs in that case.
Douglas County Commissioner Tim Freeman, who also serves as the President of the AOCC Board of Directors, said “AOCC was never opposed to a legally proper designation of that area as a monument”. Freeman said, “our concern was the improper process by which the CSNM was expanded”. Freeman said that is why the organization now supports congressional action to restore the monument in a way that respects the rule of law.
The AOCC release said Bureau of Land Management Lands covered by the O&C Act were dedicated by Congress in 1937 for sustained yield management and revenues produced from timber harvests are shared with county governments to help pay for public services. The release said monument status prevents sustained yield management. McVay said AOCC’s proposal therefore includes a provision that would keep counties whole, by replacing O&C lands in the monument with other non-O&C lands. He said the organization thinks their proposal is a good solution to the controversy. McVay said there are other interests which have to be accommodated as well, including private property owners within the footprint of the monument.
Freeman said AOCC has reached out to the offices of Senator Ron Wyden and Congressmen Peter DeFazio and Greg Walden. Freeman said they expect to work with the whole delegation but hope those three will take the lead. Freeman said they have been very helpful and willing to work with the counties in the past and he thinks they will recognize the AOCC proposal as “a good solution for everyone”.