Date: January 12, 2017
Contacts: Interior_Press@ios.doi.gov
Jeffrey Olson, NPS, 202-208-6843
Kimberly Brubeck, BLM, 202-208-5832
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
Also Praises President’s Expansion of Existing National Monuments Protecting Natural & Cultural Resources in California & Oregon
WASHINGTON – As the country prepares to observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and National Park Service Acting Director Michael T. Reynolds today applauded President Barack Obama’s designation of three new national monuments to recognize the nation’s journey from the Civil War to the modern Civil Rights Movement.
The President Obama also expanded the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in southwestern Oregon and the California Coastal National Monument to protect natural and cultural resources and areas of critical biodiversity, including highly important wildlife habitat.
Contacts: Interior_Press@ios.doi.gov
Jeffrey Olson, NPS, 202-208-6843
Kimberly Brubeck, BLM, 202-208-5832
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
Also Praises President’s Expansion of Existing National Monuments Protecting Natural & Cultural Resources in California & Oregon
WASHINGTON – As the country prepares to observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and National Park Service Acting Director Michael T. Reynolds today applauded President Barack Obama’s designation of three new national monuments to recognize the nation’s journey from the Civil War to the modern Civil Rights Movement.
The President Obama also expanded the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in southwestern Oregon and the California Coastal National Monument to protect natural and cultural resources and areas of critical biodiversity, including highly important wildlife habitat.
Expansion of National Monuments Protecting Natural, Cultural Resources in California and Oregon
Today President Obama also expanded the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in southwestern Oregon and Northern California, and added six new units to the California Coastal National Monument to protect critical biodiversity, important cultural resources and vital wildlife habitat.
Today’s 48,000-acre expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument builds upon the original monument’s goal to protect the area’s extraordinary biodiversity. Located in southwestern Oregon and established in 2000, Cascade-Siskiyou was the first monument designated solely for the preservation of its biodiversity. The monument is an ecological wonder, home to an incredible variety of rare and endemic plant and animal species, and representing a rich mosaic of forests, grasslands, shrub lands, and wet meadows at the convergence of three mountain ranges.
Several years ago, local scientists sounded the alarm that in the face of mounting external pressures including encroaching development and climate change, the original monument boundary was too small to sustain the diverse array of species that it was established to protect. The expansion, which includes a 5,000-acre extension into California, will provide vital habitat connectivity, watershed protection, and landscape-scale resilience to fire, insects and disease, invasive species, drought, or floods – events likely to be exacerbated by climate change.
“The BLM manages some of the nation's wildest and most sacred landscapes, including more than 800 areas that have been protected through congressional and presidential action. We're proud to be charged with stewarding these incredible lands for future generations, including today’s additions to the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument and the California Coastal National Monument,” said Bureau of Land Management Director Neil Kornze. “The BLM looks forward to continuing and expanding our work with local communities to ensure successful management of these special places.”
In October, Deputy Secretary of the Interior Michael Connor attended a public meeting on the proposed expansion hosted by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) in Ashland, Oregon. In addition to Senator Merkley’s leadership, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and then-Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) have written in support of the expansion along with a wide array of state and local elected officials, local scientists, area businesses, and numerous conservation groups. Senators Wyden and Merkley also introduced legislation in 2015 that would have protected most of the areas in the expansion.
The California Coastal National Monument expansion, totaling approximately 6,200 acres, will protect six spectacular places on the California coast. The monument was originally established in 2000 to protect marine wildlife habitat just offshore of California’s iconic coastline. In 2014, President Obama expanded the monument to include Point Arena-Stornetta, its first onshore unit. Today’s expansion preserves important habitat for coastal plants and animals, and protects cultural sites that provide insight into the people who lived along the California coast thousands of years ago. Many of the new units of the monument are also culturally and spiritually important to local tribes.
These new units include:
Both expansions will be managed by the Bureau of Land Management, which also manages the existing monuments.
A map of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument expansion can be found here.
A fact sheet on the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument expansion can be found here.
Maps of the California Coastal National Monument expansion can be found here.
A fact sheet on the California Coastal National Monument expansion can be found here.
Today President Obama also expanded the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in southwestern Oregon and Northern California, and added six new units to the California Coastal National Monument to protect critical biodiversity, important cultural resources and vital wildlife habitat.
Today’s 48,000-acre expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument builds upon the original monument’s goal to protect the area’s extraordinary biodiversity. Located in southwestern Oregon and established in 2000, Cascade-Siskiyou was the first monument designated solely for the preservation of its biodiversity. The monument is an ecological wonder, home to an incredible variety of rare and endemic plant and animal species, and representing a rich mosaic of forests, grasslands, shrub lands, and wet meadows at the convergence of three mountain ranges.
Several years ago, local scientists sounded the alarm that in the face of mounting external pressures including encroaching development and climate change, the original monument boundary was too small to sustain the diverse array of species that it was established to protect. The expansion, which includes a 5,000-acre extension into California, will provide vital habitat connectivity, watershed protection, and landscape-scale resilience to fire, insects and disease, invasive species, drought, or floods – events likely to be exacerbated by climate change.
“The BLM manages some of the nation's wildest and most sacred landscapes, including more than 800 areas that have been protected through congressional and presidential action. We're proud to be charged with stewarding these incredible lands for future generations, including today’s additions to the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument and the California Coastal National Monument,” said Bureau of Land Management Director Neil Kornze. “The BLM looks forward to continuing and expanding our work with local communities to ensure successful management of these special places.”
In October, Deputy Secretary of the Interior Michael Connor attended a public meeting on the proposed expansion hosted by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) in Ashland, Oregon. In addition to Senator Merkley’s leadership, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and then-Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) have written in support of the expansion along with a wide array of state and local elected officials, local scientists, area businesses, and numerous conservation groups. Senators Wyden and Merkley also introduced legislation in 2015 that would have protected most of the areas in the expansion.
The California Coastal National Monument expansion, totaling approximately 6,200 acres, will protect six spectacular places on the California coast. The monument was originally established in 2000 to protect marine wildlife habitat just offshore of California’s iconic coastline. In 2014, President Obama expanded the monument to include Point Arena-Stornetta, its first onshore unit. Today’s expansion preserves important habitat for coastal plants and animals, and protects cultural sites that provide insight into the people who lived along the California coast thousands of years ago. Many of the new units of the monument are also culturally and spiritually important to local tribes.
These new units include:
- Trinidad Head, a promontory jutting off the coast of Humboldt County, a historic lighthouse sits atop sheer cliffs overlooking crashing waves and rugged sea stacks.
- Waluplh-Lighthouse Ranch, just south of Trinidad Head, has spectacular panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, Eel River Delta, and the south spit of Humboldt Bay.
- Thirteen miles south, the Lost Coast Headlands include rolling hills and dramatically eroding bluffs, punctuated by freshwater creeks, ponds, and pockets of forest.
- Cotoni-Coast Dairies in Santa Cruz County extends from the steep slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains to marine terraces overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Approximately 5,800 acres, it encompasses ancient archaeological sites, riparian and wetland habitats, coastal prairie grasslands, and woodlands that include stands of coast redwood.
- Piedras Blancas in San Luis Obispo County provides visitors the opportunity to tour a historic lighthouse overlooking the site’s namesake white coastal rocks, and observe a colony of massive elephant seals loafing in the sun.
- Orange County Rocks and Islands just off the coast of Orange County treat visitors to dramatic crashing waves, unique geology, and an abundance of marine-dependent wildlife including pelicans and seals.
Both expansions will be managed by the Bureau of Land Management, which also manages the existing monuments.
A map of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument expansion can be found here.
A fact sheet on the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument expansion can be found here.
Maps of the California Coastal National Monument expansion can be found here.
A fact sheet on the California Coastal National Monument expansion can be found here.
Senator Jeff Merkley
BIG news for Southern Oregon—President Obama is expanding the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument! This expansion will help protect environmental quality and recreational opportunities that are essential to Southern Oregon’s way of life and economy. As climate change and intensifying development pose new threats to the region, this announcement comes at a critical time for this biodiverse area.
To all the Oregonians who came to public meetings and submitted comments on this proposal— thank you for your invaluable input. The President was able to make a more informed decision because of your thoughtful comments. I’ll continue to press to make sure your voices are heard in the formation of the new management plan. Let’s work to keep protecting this natural beauty!
https://www.merkley.senate.gov/news/press-releases/merkley-wyden-applaud-expansion-of-cascade-siskiyou-national-monument
BIG news for Southern Oregon—President Obama is expanding the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument! This expansion will help protect environmental quality and recreational opportunities that are essential to Southern Oregon’s way of life and economy. As climate change and intensifying development pose new threats to the region, this announcement comes at a critical time for this biodiverse area.
To all the Oregonians who came to public meetings and submitted comments on this proposal— thank you for your invaluable input. The President was able to make a more informed decision because of your thoughtful comments. I’ll continue to press to make sure your voices are heard in the formation of the new management plan. Let’s work to keep protecting this natural beauty!
https://www.merkley.senate.gov/news/press-releases/merkley-wyden-applaud-expansion-of-cascade-siskiyou-national-monument
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