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Oregon Governor Tina Kotek is asking President Joe Biden to designate a national monument protecting the Owyhee Canyonlands if Congress fails to act this year. Kotek sent a letter to the White House this week, joining local Tribes and conservation groups that have been pressing for permanent protections for the area.
“Permanent safeguards will protect the Owyhee Canyonlands against the growing threats of development, extraction, and other detrimental activities and, most importantly, will pay endless dividends for generations to come,” Kotek wrote.
The governor also supports a bill sponsored by Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley that would establish 1.1 million acres of wilderness in the Owyhee while also allowing flexibility for ranching. The Wyden/Merkley bill has passed out of committee but not reached the Senate floor, and it faces uncertain prospects in the House. National monument advocates have also called for continued grazing inside the proposed Owyhee monument.
Kotek acknowledged the possibility of a legislative dead end in her letter. “In the event that Congress does not pass legislation this year, I ask that President Biden designate the Owyhee Canyonlands as a national monument under the Antiquities Act," she said.
Advocates for the Owyhee welcomed the governor's support. “The Owyhee faces real and growing threats, so there’s an urgency that Governor Kotek recognizes," said Ryan Houston, executive director of the Oregon Natural Desert Association. "We hope Senators Wyden and Merkley also recognize that urgency.”
Learn more about the region at Protect the Owyhee or watch CWP's Road to 30 Postcard from the Owyhee Canyonlands.
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The Antiquities Act has a long history of being used to protect America’s most cherished landscapes, from the Grand Canyon to the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument here in Oregon.”
