RESOLUTION OF THE SISKIYOU COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS REGARDING NATIONAL MONUMENT PROPOSALS IN SISKIYOU COUNTY

WHEREAS, 62% of Siskiyou County’s 2.5 million acre land base is federal land; and

WHEREAS, a substantial portion of federal lands in Siskiyou County is already set aside as Wilderness, Roadless Areas, Late Successional Reserves and other special designations for exceptional protection of the environment; and

WHEREAS, historic communities and private property are intertwined and checker-boarded throughout the federal lands along the Klamath River corridor and elsewhere in Siskiyou County; and

WHEREAS, following a trend of wildfires increasing in severity and size during the last several decades, in 2008, wildfires raged across 200,000 acres of federal land in Siskiyou County; and

WHEREAS, all of the communities in the county have been identified as “Urban Wildland Interface Communities Within the Vicinity of Federal Lands That Are at High Risk From Wildfire” (Federal Register Vol. 66, No. 160, August 17, 2001, pg 43384-43435); and

WHEREAS, Siskiyou County and the communities of the Klamath River corridor in particular, have been severely economically impacted by a declining availability of timber resources for harvest and use (Northwest Forest Plan—The First 10 Years (1994–2003): Socioeconomic Monitoring of the Klamath National Forest and Three Local Communities); and

WHEREAS, areas such as the Klamath River corridor are rich in natural resources, which have been historically used for grazing, timber harvest, mining, recreation and a host of other uses; and

WHEREAS, the vitality of local communities, the economic health of the county, and the public safety of local residents depends upon continued access, active resource management, aggressive fuels reduction, continued historic private use and economic development of these natural resources; and

WHEREAS, Siskiyou County has a responsibility to its citizens to insure that federal land management acknowledges and respects the private rights and interests affected by federal decisions, and

WHEREAS, numerous federal statutes such as 43 USC § 1701 and § 1712 (Federal Land Policy Management Act-FLPMA), 16 USC § 1604 (National Forest Management Act-NFMA) acknowledge this responsibility and require “coordination” between federal agencies and local governments, and

WHEREAS, Siskiyou County has adopted Sections 10-12.01 and 10-12.02 regarding “County Participation in State and Federal Agency Actions” into its County Code mandating coordination between agencies and the County, and

WHEREAS, the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted Resolution 08-153 formally asserting legal standing for purposes of coordinating with federal and state agencies, and

WHEREAS, National Monuments give short shrift to this important relationship, and

WHEREAS, National Monuments do not promote the interests of local economies, public safety, private property ownership and the protection of local custom, culture; and

WHEREAS, National Monuments do not readily allow active adaptive management in response to arising environmental issues affecting wildlife, landscapes or human communities, and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors that it is to be the policy of Siskiyou County that any proposal for a National Monument or portion of a National Monument in Siskiyou County must actively coordinate and seek approval of the Board of Supervisors on behalf of the citizens of Siskiyou County prior to any formal consideration for National Monument status, and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the proposal for a National Monument north of the Klamath River in Siskiyou County, known as the Siskiyou Crest National Monument, is opposed by the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors.

The foregoing resolution was adopted at a regular meeting in the Board of Supervisors of the County of Siskiyou, State of California, held on the 4th day of August, 2009, by the following vote:

AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:

ATTEST:
COLLEEN SETZER, COUNTY CLERK

By: _______________________________
Deputy

Background on National Monuments

Because of Siskiyou County’s abundance of diverse and relatively wild landscapes, we seem to be the focal point of efforts to create National Monuments. The fact that almost 2/3’s of the County is federal land is added enticement. Presumably, the intention is to preserve these landscapes and their attendant flora and fauna for the enjoyment and edification of the public. However, in this day and age, this is not necessarily the case.
Since passage of the Antiquities Act under which National Monuments are created, numerous land designations within the federal domain have been adopted which more specifically address appropriate protections for the environmental resources in a manner that best accommodates all of the other considerations of land management. For example, Wilderness, Roadless, Late Successional Reserve, Riparian Reserve, Wild River, and Back Country Area are all designations requiring exceptional protection, but do allow varying degrees of management and use suitable to the landscape to which they have been assigned.

Such designations are far better management tools in this day and age particularly when adaptive strategies are necessary to reintroduce wildfire to the ecosystem without the catastrophic loss of vast acreages in sensitive watersheds. As well, these designations better accommodate complex private property components within and adjoining federal lands proposed for Monument status.

For example, the following chart illustrates this point relative to the Klamath National Forest part of the current Siskiyou Crest National Monument proposal:

Management Area Mgt. Area Acres in Proposed Monument

Special Mgt (RNA,SIA,Cultural) 2,031.35
Wilderness, BVNG 49,504.87
Special Habitat, LSR 100,118.85
Special Habitat, T&E Species 1,066.62
Managed Wildlife Area 4,933.58
Backcountry Area 9,456.47
Riparian Area 32,677.73
Retention VQO 5,340.97
Scenic River 191.53
Recreational River 90.39
TOTAL 205,412.36

It can be seen that the vast majority of the proposed Monument in California (>80%) is already sufficiently protected for environmental quality. For the far greater part, this approach allows sufficient flexibility to respond to critical management challenges. National Monuments do not support adaptive management practices, particularly with regard to public safety issues associated with wildfire and forest health.

National Monument proposals clearly need to meet the needs of ALL people, not just a small coterie of special and very limited interests. It is County government’s responsibility to see that local concerns are met. As well, since the people with the most experience with environmental issues in Siskiyou County are usually living here, Siskiyou County needs a substantive stake in insuring that proposals in our county are not only deserving of national recognition, but that these proposals are the best management tools for the lands in question.