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PFT Acquires Monumental Forestlands
 8/21/05
2,000 Acres in Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument Now Protected
The Pacific Forest Trust is pleased to announce the acquisition of almost 2,000 acres of private forestlands within the planning boundaries of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument (CSNM). With these first acquisitions, we have officially launched our Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument Campaign to Complete the Vision.
 
“PFT’s effort in the Monument is a prime example of how private initiatives can help achieve our national and state conservation goals,” says Oregon Senator Ron Wyden (D). “This is a significant step forward in achieving the intent of the Monument.”
 
The acquisition from American Forest Services, a timber management company that agreed to sell the lands to PFT, covers two critical areas within the Monument’s planning boundaries. These properties lie along the crest of the CSNM, just below Soda Mountain, along Jenny Creek. Both properties have outstanding biological diversity and connect significant ecological areas within the Monument itself.
 
The lands along Jenny Creek -- 1,240 acres of Douglas fir and ponderosa forestlands, grasslands and riparian areas -- lie within the Jenny Creek watershed in the southern-central region of the Monument and are surrounded by late successional forest. Jenny Creek, perhaps the Monument’s most vital feature due to its outstanding habitats, is home to several threatened and endangered species including redband trout, Fredenburg pebble snails, Northwestern pond turtles and Pacific tree frogs.
 
“The CSNM contains rare habitats, including lower-elevation forest streams like Jenny Creek that provide essential habitat for very rare fish species,” states Jack Williams, a senior scientist with Trout Unlimited. “Protecting and restoring such resources is vital for the eco-region.”
 
The second area -- 560 acres along the Soda Mountain crest at the southern portion of the Monument -- is within the boundaries of the proposed Soda Mountain Wilderness Study Area. A mixed conifer forest with rare alpine meadows, this property connects significant portions of old growth forests within the CSNM, ensuring these lands will not be further fragemented. Both parcels of land provide critical nesting centers to endangered Northern spotted owls and have active elk populations.
 
Located just north of the Oregon-California border in Jackson County, Oregon between Ashland and Klamath Falls, the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument -- designated by the federal government in June 2002 -- is the first and only National Monument designated specifically for its diversity of plants and animals.
 
Despite this significance, only 53,000 acres of the Monument’s 85,200-acre planning area are currently managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The remaining 32,200 acres are privately owned and unprotected.
 
“With 40 percent of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument unprotected, the Monument’s very purpose and integrity are at risk,” says PFT President Laurie Wayburn. “Every time these undeveloped lands are sold, we lose the opportunity to conserve this natural treasure-chest that protects water and other resources and that will benefit generations to come.”
 
We are very grateful for the support of the Collins Foundation, as well as other charitable donors, who have joined PFT’s Conservation Capital Fund in financing this $1.42 million acquisition and kicking off our CSNM campaign.

[] California Forest Futures 2005
Conference Inspires New Partnerships and New Solution

Recent estimates by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection indicate nearly 40,000 acres of California oaks and conifers are being lost to development every year. This is the equivalent to losing a forest the size of the city of San Francisco to residential sprawl annually.
 
To address this growing crisis, the Pacific Forest Trust and the UC Berkeley Center for Forestry hosted California Forest Futures 2005 this past May in Sacramento. The convention center buzzed with energy and insight for two full-days as 250 attendees -- elected officials, policy makers, forest owners, foresters, land use planners, natural resource managers, environmentalists, conservationists, scientists, media and other concerned citizens -- gathered to explore strategic solutions to stop loss and spur progress. The complex and powerful forces reshaping California’s forest landscape were examined. And plans to ensure the financial and ecological viability of the state’s forests were outlined by an array of forest experts. Participants left with a new commitment to fight for the future of California’s forests.
 
“Retaining and sustaining our forestlands is a challenge we must all rise to meet. It's neither a Democratic nor Republican issue. It's not solely a problem for the government, the forest product industry or conservationists,” noted Mike Chrisman, California Secretary of Resources and conference honorary chair. “It's a statewide crisis that needs the help and support of all our institutions and all our citizens to help solve. Working together we can assure California's great forestlands remain forever vast and vital.”
 
David Bischel, California Forestry Association president, added, “Californians want their wood products to come from forests managed by the highest environmental standards. But the high-cost of doing business in this state is killing our industry. As such, we must work together to find new ways to ensure the health of both California's working forests and forest industry.”
 
“We disagree with the timber industry on many things,” concluded Paul Mason, Sierra Club California's forestry representative. “But we all agree that it's bad when you convert a forest into a Wal-Mart or a sub-division.”
 
The conference successfully brought the “quiet crisis” of forest loss to the attention of the media, prompting feature stories in the Sacramento Bee, California Coast and Ocean, and Capitol Weekly, plus radio coverage on NPR’s The California Report and KBFK News Radio. The Bee story can be accessed online (free registration required) at: http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/environment/story/13022695p-13869043c.html
 
Pacific Forest Trust News
http://www.pacificforest.org/

2,000 Acres in Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument Now Protected
Purchase Marks First Conservation Acquisition in Monument

Ashland, Oregon – The Pacific Forest Trust (PFT) announced today the acquisition of almost 2,000 acres of private forestlands within the boundaries of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. Designated by the federal government in June 2002, the Monument is home to a spectacular variety of rare plants and animals several of which are found nowhere else on Earth. Forty percent of the land, however, is privately held and not protected from development. Today’s announcement launches PFT’s campaign to help complete the vision of conserving the Monument’s globally outstanding natural resources.

“The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument is in the heart of one of the most diverse, environmentally significant, yet threatened landscapes in North America,” said Norm Christensen, Professor of Ecology, Duke University. “This acquisition will boost the region’s prospects for ecological health and vitality.”

Located just north of the Oregon-California border in Jackson County, Oregon between Ashland and Klamath Falls, the Cascade–Siskiyou National Monument is the first and only national monument designated specifically for its diversity of plants and animals. 

“PFT’s effort in the Monument is a prime example of how private initiatives can help achieve our national and state conservation goals,” added Oregon Senator Ron Wyden (D). “This is a significant step forward in achieving the intent of the Monument.”

Fifty-three thousand (53,000) acres of the Monument’s 85,200-acre planning area is managed by the Bureau of Land Management, which is currently finalizing administrative plans for the Monument. The remaining 32,200 acres is privately owned and is without any protected status. With rapidly growing development pressures, the area is further threatened by Oregon’s recently passed Measure 37 – legislation that has weakened the state’s land use and development restrictions.

“Nearly half of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument is unprotected. This undermines its integrity and purpose,” said Laurie Wayburn, President of the Pacific Forest Trust. “Every time these undeveloped lands are sold, we lose the opportunity to conserve this natural treasure-chest that protects water and other resources and that will benefit generations to come.”

“Acquiring, protecting and restoring these threatened landscapes is essential to the lasting success of the Monument,” said Dave Willis, a leading proponent of the Monument and Chair of the Soda Mountain Wilderness Council.

The newly acquired lands run along the Cascade-Siskiyou Crest just off Soda Mountain and along Jenny Creek. Here, a variety of rare species are found including redband trout, Western pond turtles and Pacific tree frogs. Both areas support more than 200 species of butterfly and provide homes for an astonishing array of plants and animals including elk and fisher.

“Jenny Creek is a jewel in the rough,” added Jack Williams, Senior Scientist of Trout Unlimited. “Lower-elevation forest streams like this provide the living homes for very rare fish species. This acquisition helps conserve a vital resource.”

Funding for the $1.42M acquisition was provided by private sources including the Collins Foundation, several anonymous donors and the Pacific Forest Trust’s Conservation Capital Fund. 

“We will continue to work with willing landowners to acquire and conserve large, privately owned properties to create a more cohesive, protected landscape,” concluded Wayburn. “Our goal is to help ensure the vast majority of land in the Monument is managed to achieve the goals of its designation.”


 
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