The group will take part in a public meeting this weekend on the draft management plan Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument; several events are set for June
By Lee Juillerat for Ashland.news
A series of public meetings about the “Draft Management Plan and Draft Environmental Statement for the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument” is underway, including the Pinehurst School from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 18. A prior meeting was held May 14 in Medford and another is set for today, May 16, at Klamath Community College in Klamath Falls.
The Bureau of Land Management released the documents last month for a 60-day review period.
“We are currently in the process of reviewing the draft plan and anticipate submitting our comments to the BLM in the beginning of June,” according to a statement from the Friends of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.
Plan is posted
The plan is available for viewing at the BLM National NEPA Register website. Click on the website’s Documents and Map tabs for details. Volume 1 includes Chapters 1 through 4 of the executive summary while Volume 2 contains appendices.
Although the draft management is focused on the future of the monument, the Friends group has also announced a vigorous schedule of events to help people visit and appreciate the region.
On June 1, the Friends and Project Beaver will host a Beaver Scavenger Hunt. “We want to find out where the beavers are and what they are doing,” representatives of the Friends group explained. “The date will help our partners refine their strategies to increase beaver population in the monument.”
The Friends are seeking volunteers, including “hardy souls feel comfortable bushwhacking through dense vegetation and walking on uneven terrain in and along waterways for several hours. This will be hard work. For those of you for this adventure you will get the opportunity to experience the monument from a whole new perspective.”
Aquatic habitats and species
Set for June 14 and 15 is a “Hike & Learn: Aquatic Habitats and Species of the Monument.” Organizers say participants can “Learn about the fascinating world beneath the surface of the creeks and streams” of the monument. Chris Volpe, the BLM’s Medford district fish biologist, “will take us on a journey to understand the monument’s watersheds, the different kinds of aquatic habitat found there and the species who call those habitats home. We will also discuss the challenges the watersheds currently face and how we can improve their conditions and resilience.”
The Saturday hike will explore aquatic habitats, including Jenny Creek, and areas that have undergone restoration.
Artist-in-residence
The monument will co-host a reception on June 7 for this year’s Medford District BLM artist-in-residence, Serena Richelle.
Richelle is “a gifted scientific illustrator” who “combines science and art to raise awareness about the relationships that exist between species, their importance, their endangerment and what we can do to preserve them,” said a Friends spokesperson. “Serena will spend two-weeks in the monument this June exploring, sketching, painting and creating in an environment that inspires creativity.”
At the reception, she will showcase some of her art and give a presentation on how her artist-in-residence experience has been thus far. Light food and refreshments will be provided.
In addition, the Friends said their summer interpretive rangers will lead a full day of outdoor environmental education in the monument every Wednesday beginning June 19 through July 31 for youths who participate in the Crest’s Nature Day Camps.
For more about Friends programs and the BLM resource management plan, visit the Friends of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument website at cascadesiskiyou.org.
Email freelance writer Lee Juillerat at 337lee337@charter.net.
