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SJM102.........................................by RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT
OWYHEE-BRUNEAU CANYONLANDS - Stating findings of the Legislature and urging
that the President of the United States refuse to designate Owyhee-Bruneau
Canyonlands National Monument without input and consultation with
representatives of state and local governments and the people in Idaho.
02/06 Senate intro - 1st rdg - to printing
02/07 Rpt prt - to 10th Ord
02/08 10th Ord - ADOPTED - Voice Vote
Title apvd - to House
02/09 House intro - 1st rdg - to Res/Con
02/22 Rpt out - rec d/p - to 2nd rdg
02/23 2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg
02/28 3rd rdg - ADOPTED - 67-0-3
AYES -- Barraclough, Barrett, Bedke, Bell, Bieter, Black, Boe, Bolz,
Bradford, Callister, Campbell, Chase, Clark, Collins, Crow, Cuddy,
Deal, Denney, Ellis, Ellsworth, Eskridge, Field(13), Field(20),
Gagner, Gould, Hadley, Hammond, Harwood, Henbest, Higgins, Hornbeck,
Jaquet, Jones, Kellogg, Kendell, Kunz, Lake, Langford, Loertscher,
Mader, Marley, McKague, Meyer, Montgomery, Moss, Moyle, Pearce,
Pischner, Pomeroy, Raybould, Ridinger, Roberts, Robison, Sali,
Schaefer, Sellman, Shepherd, Smith, Smylie, Stevenson, Stone, Tilman,
Trail, Wheeler, Wood, Young, Mr. Speaker
NAYS -- None
Absent and excused -- Bruneel, Mortensen, Swan
Floor Sponsor -- Field(20)
Title apvd - to Senate
03/01 To enrol
03/02 Rpt enrol - Pres signed
03/05 Sp signed
03/06 To Secretary of State
|||| LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO ||||
Fifty-sixth Legislature First Regular Session - 2001
IN THE SENATE
SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 102
BY RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
1 A JOINT MEMORIAL
2 TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES IN CONGRESS
3 ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION REPRESENTING THE STATE OF
4 IDAHO IN THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES.
5 We, your Memorialists, the Senate and the House of Representatives of the
6 State of Idaho assembled in the First Regular Session of the Fifty-sixth Idaho
7 Legislature, do hereby respectfully represent that:
8 WHEREAS, special interest groups requested the President of the United
9 States to designate an Owyhee-Bruneau Canyonlands National Monument in Owyhee
10 County, Idaho, during the last days of the past presidential administration, a
11 designation which would include over two million federal acres, and hundreds
12 of thousands of acres of state land as well as private land, in an area
13 including more than one-half the land mass of Owyhee County; and
14 WHEREAS, the state of Idaho has been greatly affected by such recent
15 actions as the Craters of the Moon National Monument expansion; and
16 WHEREAS, the history of national monuments and other special designations
17 for preservation purposes, demonstrates that their administration and manage-
18 ment results in closure of road access, elimination of specific recreational
19 uses, elimination of mining, and, through administrative regulations, restric-
20 tion of all other recreational and permitted uses to a point of near elimina-
21 tion; and
22 WHEREAS, the land within the proposed Owyhee Canyonland National Monument
23 is currently in sound ecological condition under the existing private and pub-
24 lic management; and
25 WHEREAS, designation of the monument would remove the affected federal
26 lands from the multiple use mandates of Congress and place them under more
27 restrictive administration as a monument where management can adversely impact
28 livestock grazing that is key to the local economy of the county, block access
29 to and use of water rights held as private property rights, eliminate the eco-
30 nomic viability of vested mining claims, and deny thousands of citizens the
31 opportunity to recreationally use, enjoy and benefit from the land; and
32 WHEREAS, the National Environmental Policy Act mandates that environmental
33 policy decisions which affect the quality of the human environment, such as
34 designation of a Canyonlands National Monument, be subjected to public review
35 and public input, and federal laws governing the management of federal lands
36 require consultation with affected state and local governments before such
37 decisions are made; and
38 WHEREAS, the groups seeking this designation have not consulted with and
39 have not sought input from the Idaho Legislature, the State Land Board or the
40 Governor of Idaho, even though hundreds of thousands of acres of state land
41 would be affected, and have not consulted with and have not sought input from
42 the Board of County Commissioners of Owyhee County or the citizens of Owyhee
43 County who own private property, and property rights which would be affected,
44 and have not consulted with and have not sought input from the thousands of
2
1 citizens of Idaho who use, enjoy and benefit from recreational opportunities
2 which would be affected; and
3 WHEREAS, former Secretary of Interior Bruce Babbitt, has previously com-
4 mitted to officials of the State of Idaho, to the members of the delegation
5 representing the State of Idaho in the United States Congress, and to the cit-
6 izens of Idaho that such monument designations will not be made without
7 advance state and local input; and
8 WHEREAS, the uniqueness of the Owyhee Canyonlands has been maintained in
9 coexistence with multiple uses of the federal lands and continuing stewardship
10 of adjoining state and private lands, and this successful coexistence demon-
11 strates no necessity, or even desirability, for designation of a national mon-
12 ument; and
13 WHEREAS, if there had been consultation with the state and local govern-
14 ments, and if there had been public review and input as to the requested des-
15 ignation, the evidence presented by state and local officials and the citizens
16 of Owyhee County and Idaho would demonstrate that the unique qualities of the
17 Canyonlands have coexisted, and can continue to coexist, with multiple uses of
18 the federal lands and with existing stewardship of state and private lands
19 within the area, that there is no necessity for designating a national monu-
20 ment and that an unnecessary designation would adversely impact state and pri-
21 vate land and the interests of the citizens of Owyhee County and Idaho; and
22 WHEREAS, rural Idaho has benefited little from recent prosperity, in part,
23 due to increasing restriction of access to and economic use of federal lands,
24 the designation of a national monument over half of Owyhee County would devas-
25 tate the rural economy that is dependent on the coexisting economic use of
26 private, state and federal land; and
27 WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners, Assessor and Treasurer of Owy-
28 hee County have warned the former President of the United States that designa-
29 tion of the requested monument would severely harm the revenue base which
30 funds local government services to the people of Owyhee County, would severely
31 harm ranchers and their families whose livelihood is dependent upon livestock
32 grazing, would adversely impact private property rights in water, mining and
33 access, would adversely impact the social and cultural cohesiveness of the
34 communities in the affected area, and would severely restrict citizens' recre-
35 ation use and enjoyment of, and benefit from, land in the proposed site; and
36 WHEREAS, the Sheriff of Owyhee County has warned the former President of
37 the United States that restriction of access on the hundreds of miles of
38 county roads, as well as RS 2477 rights-of-way, located in the affected site
39 will adversely impact law enforcement and search and rescue operations, thus
40 adversely impacting the public health and safety; and
41 WHEREAS, the Idaho Fish and Game Commission has followed with great con-
42 cern proposals to expand or designate new national monuments in Idaho because
43 of the potential impact for loss of hunting, trapping, wildlife management
44 activities and local decision-making in areas under consideration for national
45 monument status, in particular the Owyhee-Bruneau Canyonlands; and
46 WHEREAS, the Owyhee Canyonlands provide a tremendous amount of hunting,
47 fishing and outdoor recreation opportunities adjacent to the largest popula-
48 tion center in the state. The area provides habitat for a variety of fish and
49 wildlife including sage grouse, chukar, redband trout, small mouth bass,
50 pronghorn antelope, mule deer, elk, bobcat and mountain lion; and
51 WHEREAS, the Owyhee area proposal encompasses virtually the entire range
52 of California bighorn sheep in Idaho. This population was reestablished in the
53 Owyhees through a series of transplants, research projects and intensive moni-
54 toring, beginning in 1963. This wildlife conservation success story is the
55 result of a significant long-term investment by sheep hunters, the Idaho
3
1 Department of Fish and Game, the Bureau of Land Management, the Foundation for
2 North American Wild Sheep and, more recently, the United States Air Force; and
3 WHEREAS, under current BLM management, local decision-making allows for a
4 variety of activities and conservation measures. These activities include
5 hunting, fishing, trapping, fish and wildlife research and monitoring, and
6 wildlife management, including bighorn sheep transplants; and
7 WHEREAS, it is imperative that these activities and the associated manage-
8 ment that have worked so well to date be able to continue without additional
9 regulatory constraints or impediments. Public access, recreational activi-
10 ties, and other resource uses, such as grazing, have been coordinated success-
11 fully with wildlife programs and the present formula for success should con-
12 tinue.
13 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the members of the First Regular Session
14 of the Fifty-sixth Idaho Legislature, the Senate and the House of Representa-
15 tives concurring therein, that we respectfully request that the President of
16 the United States refuse to designate the requested Owyhee-Bruneau Canyonlands
17 National Monument without prior consultation with the Governor of Idaho, the
18 State Land Board, the Idaho Legislature, and local government officials in
19 Owyhee County, and without subjecting the request to public review and input.
20 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate be, and she is
21 hereby authorized and directed to forward a copy of this Memorial to the Pres-
22 ident of the United States, the Secretary of Interior, the President of the
23 Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Congress, and the
24 congressional delegation representing the State of Idaho in the Congress of
25 the United States.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
RS 1O659C2
A memorial opposing the national monument designation of the
"Owyhee Canyonlands"
NONE
FISCAL IMPACT
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE SJM 102
Contact
Name: Senator Robbi Barrutia
Phone: 3321347