Senators seek input on expanding S. Oregon national monument

BEND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon senators are asking for the public’s opinion on possibly expanding the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.

The Bulletin reports (https://is.gd/i0z0Ey ) that Oregon Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, both Democrats, have asked the U.S. Department of the Interior to expand the monument’s border by about 50,000 acres. Most of the expansion would involve Bureau of Land Management lands.

The existing monument was created in 2000 by a presidential proclamation. The 62,000-acre monument spreads over southern Oregon, where the Cascade, Siskiyou and Klamath mountain ranges converge.

According to a letter early this month from Merkley and Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-California, the effects of climate change have made the monument’s boundaries inadequate to protect native species.

Merkley is seeking comments on the proposal by Nov. 20, to share with the president.

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Information from: The Bulletin, http://www.bendbulletin.com