Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley says he does not believe President Obama will designate the Owyhee Canyonlands as a national monument before leaving office on Friday.
Merkley said Interior Secretary Sally Jewel told him a monument designation for the eastern Oregon lands has been shelved.
Obama has taken a series of monument actions in recent months, including expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in southern Oregon.
The fate of the 2.5 million-acre region along the Idaho border has been the subject of heated controversy for more than a year. Several environmental groups and the Keen footwear company have campaigned for the monument designation, saying it's needed to protect the rugged landscape.
That's generated strong opposition from local ranchers and by Malheur County residents — where the canyonlands are located — in an advisory vote.
Merkley has said he didn't necessarily oppose a national monument, but that it should only be undertaken after local concerns were addressed. In a telephone interview Friday, Merkley noted that never happened and that Jewell did not consider the Owyhee monument proposal "ripe for consideration."
Merkley said Jewell made this clear in talks with both him and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.
“The secretary was very clear in the conversations that both Senator Wyden and I had that they were not prepared to act," Merkley said.
"So it was set aside," he added, "and I have a feeling it will be set aside for quite a while."
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Amanda Peacher
/Residents and conservationists disagree over what should be done to protect the Owyhee region in southeastern Oregon.
Amanda Peacher
/Far away from city lights, this remote corner of Southeast Oregon provides great views of the night sky.
Amanda Peacher
/Rancher Bob Skinner says the Owyhee is already protected, by its isolation and remoteness. "If we get a big influx of people coming in here because they shine a spotlight on it with a monument, that is what’s going to be the problem," Skinner said.
Amanda Peacher
/Leslie Gulch in Southeastern Oregon features sheer rock walls and red rock formations.
Amanda Peacher
/Cheatgrass dominates the landscape in the Owyhee. The invasive species is a problem in much of Eastern Oregon.
Amanda Peacher
/Giant red rock formations protrude from grassy, rolling hills. Although the Owyhee is known for its canyons, the majority of the land mass in the area is high desert sagebrush country.
