Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument

Infobox_protected_area | name = Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument
iucn_category = V

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caption =
locator_x = 14
locator_y = 47
location = Jackson County, Oregon, USA
nearest_city = Medford, OR
area = convert|52940|acre|km2|0|sing=off
established = June 9, 2000
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
governing_body = U.S. Bureau of Land Management

The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument is a federally protected area that encompasses approximately convert|52940|acre|km2|0|sing=off at the junction of the Cascade Range and the Siskiyou Mountains in southwestern Oregon, United States. It was established by President Bill Clinton in 2000.

Native Americans are known from archaeological excavations to have inhabited the region for thousands of years. Nearly 100 dwelling and root-gathering sites belonging to the Modoc, Klamath, and Shasta tribes have been uncovered to date. By the 1880s, they had been completely replaced by white settlers, whose mining cabins still dot the region. [http://www.conservationsystem.org/conservationsystem/monuments/cascade-siskiyou Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument] - The Conservation System Alliance] [http://www.earthjustice.org/how_to_help/fun/gallery/cascade_siskiyou_national_monument_or.html Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument] - Earthjustice: Environmental Law]

The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument has one of the most diverse ecosystems found in the Cascade Range. 200 species of birds are known to exist in the monument including some threatened and endangered species such as the Great Grey Owl and Peregrine Falcon.

Natural features in the monument include Pilot Rock, which is a volcanic neck or interior of an extinct volcano, similarly formed as Devils Tower in Wyoming, and the Soda Mountain Wilderness Study Area.

The Pacific Crest Trail runs through the monument area. There is a fire lookout tower on the top of Soda Mountain built in 1962 to replace the original 1933 structure. Although the top of the mountain is also the site of dozens of television and radio broadcast and relay dishes, the view from the fire lookout of the surrounding mountains is unobstructed. From the lookout, one can see Mount Shasta, Mount Ashland, Mount McLoughlin, and on clear days, the rim of Crater Lake.cite book |title=100 Hikes in Southern Oregon |last=Sullivan |first=William L. |authorlink=William L. Sullivan (author) |year=1999 |publisher=Navillus Press |location=Eugene, Oregon]

The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument land use plan has been the source of local and national controversy over multi-use planning for wilderness and roadless areas.cite news |last=Fattig |first=Paul |url=http://www.mailtribune.com/archive/2000/march/030100n6.htm |title=Commission: Keep Soda Mountain open |publisher="Mail Tribune" |date= March 2000] The plan currently strives for a balance between managing rare natural habitat, recreational activities, and agricultural activities including cattle grazing and timber.

References

See also

* List of National Monuments of the United States

External links

* [http://www.blm.gov/or/resources/recreation/casc-sisk/index.htm Official site] - Bureau of Land Management
* [http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=62322 American Presidency Project] - Proclamation establishing the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument
* [http://www.conservationsystem.org/conservationsystem/monuments/cascade-siskiyou Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument] - Conservation System Alliance
* [http://www.pacificwestcom.com/jennycreek Jenny Creek Private Lands Coalition] - Private property rights advocates
* [http://www.oregonwild.org/wilderness/soda_mountain_wilderness Soda Mountain Wilderness Campaign] - Oregon Wild
* [http://www.wilderness.org/wherewework/oregon/siskiyou.cfm Wilderness.org site]
* [http://www.nccsp.org/stewarding_the_land/wild-lands-projects/federal-lands-management-project/cascade-siskiyou-national-monument-1/cascade-siskiyou-national-monument NCCSP Land management]