Monument expanded, grazing permits retired

A bill expanding protection of the Oregon Caves National Monument moved a step closer to becoming law following approval in the House Natural Resources Committee Wednesday morning. HR 2889, introduced last year by U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Springfield, calls for the 480-acre monument to be expanded by some 4,070 acres. Supporters say it would protect the monument's water source, improve forest health and increase tourism in the area. But a local timber industry spokesman worries it reflects an effort to continue to whittle away at the potential local harvest from public land. The expanded area, now part of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, would be known as the Oregon Caves National Preserve and would allow continued fishing, hunting and trapping in the area. A provision in the bill allows thinning to promote forest health and reduce the potential for catastrophic wildfires that would threaten the monument's historic chateau. The legislation provides for the retirement of grazing permits within the monument by the National Park Service. Applegate Valley rancher Phil Krouse, whose family has grazed cattle in the area each summer for three generations, has agreed to sell his grazing privileges within the monument. In addition, the bill also designates the River Styx, the underground stream running out of the caves, as the first subterranean Wild and Scenic River in the nation...more