Oregon’s Owyhee Canyonlands represent one of the largest conservation opportunities in the Lower 48. The Owyhee is an integral part of the sagebrush steppe landscape that supports more than 350 species of fish and wildlife, including California bighorn sheep, pronghorn, elk, mule deer, sage grouse, brown trout, and native interior redband trout. But it’s not immune to our ever-changing world.
Both industrial development and climate change pose severe threats to the canyonlands. Southeastern Oregon, home to the Owyhee, is one of the fastest-heating areas of the state, a cause for alarm for the fish, wildlife, waters, lands, and communities that comprise this area.
Please join Trout Unlimited, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, and National Wildlife Federation in asking President Biden and the Oregon congressional delegation to designate the Owyhee Canyonlands National Monument and ensure hunting and angling traditions can continue on this landscape for generations to come.
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Dear President Biden, Oregon Senators, and Representatives,
We are writing to express strong support for the designation of the Owyhee Canyonlands National Monument via the Antiquities Act of 1906. This landscape and its people are deserving of long-term solutions that uphold existing land uses and ensure future generations of sportsmen and sportswomen can continue hunting and angling traditions.
The canyonlands face threats from industrial development including mining along with energy exploration and development. Climate change also poses a serious risk for the Owyhee. The region is one of the fastest-heating areas in the state, a cause for alarm for the fish, wildlife, waters, lands, and communities that comprise this area. Protecting the Owyhee for its rich ecological values will help the land adapt to the pressures of a changing climate, including drought.
After three decades of trying to protect the Owyhee, now is the time for action. Currently, only five percent of the canyonlands are protected. Oregon has one of the fastest rates of development in the West. Over the past two decades, the state has lost the equivalent of nearly 200,000 football fields of natural area. Without permanent protection, the Owyhee is not safe from the growing threats of development.
A national monument designation provides a balanced management approach. It would prohibit future mining and, in the process, protect and preserve exceptional fish and wildlife habitat as well as the high quality of life and economic benefits the area provides to local communities, Tribes, and ranchers. It would also honor the rights of Tribal Nations, recognize the area’s rich fishing and hunting heritage, and allow multiple-use activities, like livestock grazing, to continue.
We respectfully ask you to permanently protect the Owyhee Canyonlands through a national monument designation this year. It is time to protect the people, fish and wildlife, and businesses who depend on the Owyhee for their livelihood, as well as the incredible cultural and recreational values this unique area contains. Sportsmen and sportswomen are counting on you to preserve our hunting and fishing heritage in this landscape. Thank you for your leadership on this issue.