Establishment of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument

President Clinton established the 52,000-acre Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Oregon under the Antiquities Act to protect exceptional biological diversity at the intersection of three ecoregions. The proclamation withdraws federal lands from development, prohibits commercial timber harvest, reserves water rights, restricts motorized vehicles, and directs the Secretary of the Interior to develop a management plan within three years and study livestock grazing impacts.

Federal Register Open PDF 65 FR 37249

Impact dates

Jun 9, 2003
Management plan for monument due from Secretary of the Interior

Key directives

Establish 52,000-acre Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument
Withdraw federal lands from all forms of entry, location, selection, sale, leasing under public land laws
Withdraw from mining laws and mineral/geothermal leasing laws
Reserve water sufficient to fulfill monument purposes as of proclamation date
Prohibit commercial timber harvest except for authorized science-based ecological restoration
Prohibit all motorized and mechanized vehicle use off road
Close Schoheim Road except for emergency or authorized administrative purposes
Manage monument through Bureau of Land Management
Prepare management plan within 3 years including transportation planning
Study impacts of livestock grazing on biological objects
Continue existing grazing permits/leases with appropriate terms
Retire grazing allotments if grazing found incompatible with protection purposes

Who is ordered

Secretary of the Interior · Department of the Interior

Timeline

Immediate

Monument establishment effective upon proclamation date
Federal lands withdrawn from entry, sale, leasing, mining, and mineral/geothermal leasing
Water reservation effective as of proclamation date
Commercial timber harvest prohibited
Motorized/mechanized vehicle use off-road prohibited
Schoheim Road closed except for emergency/administrative purposes

Near term (90d)

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Long term

Management plan due within 3 years of June 9, 2000 (by June 9, 2003)
Livestock grazing impact study to be conducted with potential allotment retirement if incompatible
Transportation planning including road closures/travel restrictions to be included in management plan

Risks & tensions

Livestock grazing study creates uncertainty for existing permit holders; conditional continuation with potential forced retirement if incompatible
Water reservation language may create tension with state water rights holders despite 'valid existing rights' preservation
Road closure (Schoheim Road) and off-road vehicle restrictions may generate local access disputes
Dominant reservation language could conflict with prior withdrawals/reservations
No explicit deadline for grazing impact study—vague timing beyond management plan deadline