1. Monument campaign detail
2. Senate Bill 1890 detail

MALHEUR COUNTY — National monument protection is needed in the Owyhee Canyonlands of southeastern Oregon, conservation groups say.

The Protect the Owyhee Canyonlands campaign, announced Sept. 6, calls for President Joe Biden’s administration to make the designation by the end of 2024, because “with threats to the land only growing, the Owyhee cannot wait any longer,” according to a news release. Travel and usage in the area have increased in step with population growth.

But the monument campaign does not criticize existing legislation that would designate a wilderness area and protect ranching and other uses.

Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both Democrats, worked with stakeholders to develop what is now Senate Bill 1890, which Wyden introduced in early June. It is a revision of two earlier versions, the first of which was introduced in 2019.

The legislation aims to “protect some of the most critical areas of the Owyhee while also supporting tribal priorities, improving land and recreation management, and promoting economic development,” according to the campaign. “But if Congress won’t act, then President Biden must work together with Oregon’s senators to guarantee the Owyhee’s protection.”

The president can use the Wyden-Merkley bill “as a blueprint, and secure the future of the Owyhee through national monument designation,” according to the release.

Wyden is “confident his Owyhee legislation reflecting the agreement of eastern Oregon ranchers, conservationists and tribes will pass in Congress,” Hank Stern, the senator’s Oregon press secretary, told Capital Press. The bill would preserve a “natural treasure” while “building on the strengths of the recreation economy and introducing more flexibility in grazing management.”

The monument effort is a “parallel campaign” alongside the legislation, said Tim Davis, founder and executive director of Ontario-based Friends of the Owyhee. “We still want to see SB 1890 get through, but we know there are a lot of hurdles.”

The group remains committed to the legislation but recognizes the need to be prepared for all outcomes, he said.

Work that community members, ranchers and others put in since 2015 needs to be reflected whether that outcome is a passed bill or a monument designation, Davis said. No map of the proposed national monument area has been drawn.

SB 1890 and earlier versions were created with input from the Owyhee Basin Stewardship Coalition and the Malheur County Community Empowerment for the Owyhee stakeholder group. The coalition includes ranchers, southeast Oregon business people and recreation groups. The stakeholder group, which Wyden brought together, includes the coalition, environmental interests and others.

The Stewardship Coalition does not support designation of a national monument, spokesperson Mark Dunn said.

“That’s why we’ve been working the past four years to develop legislation that protects the economic well-being of Malheur County and the (grazing) permit holders,” he said.

Under SB 1890, the stakeholder group would be independently authorized and could be funded to do projects in cooperation with landowners and federal agencies. The legislation also would allow for more flexible grazing through local decisions and greater ability to improve lands.

“We are still hopeful that Congress can pass the compromise that Wyden and Merkley have achieved” through the bill, Dunn said.

The monument proposal “is intended to be complementary to and supportive of their effort” and “should mirror or mimic the legislative proposal,” said Ryan Houston, executive director of the Oregon Natural Desert Association.

It is possible that a national monument designation could protect key areas of the Owyhee while also supporting recreational uses and local economic-development efforts, he said.

“I fully expect a national monument designation to make clear that livestock grazing is allowed to continue,” Houston said.

The association, like Friends of the Owyhee, is part of the monument campaign as well as the stakeholder group that helped to craft SB 1890.

“We are working on both pathways,” Houston said.