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Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, grazing studies
Flash - The National Center's Grazing Synthesis Study is now available!
CASCADE-SISKIYOU NATIONAL MONUMENT
In June of 2000, President Clinton designated 52,495 acres of Bureau of Land Management lands along a high elevation land bridge linking the Siskiyou and Cascade Mountains in southern Oregon as the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.
The monument, a unit of BLM's National Landscape Conservation System, was designated as much for its biological diversity as its spectacular topography and geology as this excerpt from the proclamation document attests:
With towering fir forests, sunlit oak groves, wildflower-strewn meadows and steep canyons, the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument is an ecological wonder, with biological diversity unmatched in the Cascade Range.
The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument sits on top of a convergence of distinct ecological regions. The influence of Great Basin, Northern Cascade Mountains and Siskiyou Mountains is demonstrated in the incredible diversity of plants, butterflies, birds, and small mammals present in this recently protected landscape.
The monument also is located at the divergence of the Rogue and Klamath Basins, and is dissected by numerous rivers and streams and peppered with springs of varying sizes. These rivers, streams and springs support a remarkably high diversity of aquatic insects, unique populations of fish, and twenty-five different species of snails – many of which are new to science.
Future Management of Monument Under Review
Current management activities on the monument include livestock grazing, logging, vehicle use, and water management activities. However, as part of the creation of the monument, the Bureau of Land Management legally was mandated to study the impacts of livestock grazing on the plants, animals, and natural processes that make the monument such a biologically diverse area. The purpose of these studies is to determine if livestock grazing is compatible with protecting the diverse and unique plants, animals, and ecosystems of the monument.
The results of these studies will shape the future of cattle grazing activities in the monument. In addition to livestock, roads and jeep trails, logging, and water management activities all affect the plants, animals and habitats in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.
The conservation value of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument is nationally significant. The National Center is working to understand and conserve the ecological treasures of the monument. Our efforts are focused on ensuring that credible scientific research on the ecological impacts of cattle grazing in the monument is conducted, and making sure the results of that research is brought to bear in the policy arena.
* MONUMENT MANAGEMENT POLICY – working to ensure that the monument is managed to protect the biological diversity for which it was designated, and that the BLM makes its determination on grazing practices with an awareness and understanding of the results of recent scientific research.
* MONUMENT RESEARCH – conducting and supporting six field studies, in partnership with universities, research institutes, and conservation groups, to assess the impact of current livestock grazing practices on small mammals, birds, butterflies, aquatic snails, stream habitats and stream macroinvertebrates, and a species of rare plant in the monument.
Pilot Rock, Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument Photo by Kevin Schafer.
