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On January 12, 2017, President Barack Obama issued Proclamation 9564, utilizing the Antiquities Act to add approximately 48,000 acres to the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. This executive action extended federal protections to diverse ecosystems across Oregon's Jackson and Klamath Counties and California's Siskiyou County. The designation tasked the Bureau of Land Management with administering the new parcels, which include the Horseshoe Ranch Wildlife Area, the Jenny Creek watershed, and the Grizzly Peak region.
Citing scientific research conducted since the monument's original 2000 designation, the administration justified the enlargement as necessary to preserve habitat connectivity and biological diversity. The proclamation explicitly notes that the expanded boundaries provide essential corridors for species such as the Northern Spotted Owl and the endangered Gentner's fritillary, while aiming to bolster landscape resilience against climate change. To safeguard these resources, the order withdraws the specified lands from new mining claims and mineral leasing, subject to valid existing rights.
The expansion encompasses an intersection of three distinct ecoregions—the Cascade, Klamath, and Siskiyou mountains—incorporating geological features like Old Baldy and Surveyor Mountain. While maintaining existing management protocols for the original monument, the directive allows for the development of a travel management plan to regulate snowmobile and non-motorized mechanized use. The move cements the status of these lands as part of the National Landscape Conservation System, prohibiting unauthorized settlement or resource extraction.
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