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The excitement of a unanimous Senate vote giving protection to Oregon’s Owyhee Canyonlands ended in an anti-climax when the proposal died in the House before the end-of-year recess.
However, advocates will ensure it is tabled when Congress assembles for the start of the 2025 session.
The 1890 – Malheur Community Empowerment for the Owyhee Act
The proposed Owyhee Act allocates over 1.1 million acres of federal public land and 15 miles of the Owyhee River under the protection of the National Wilderness Preservation System and the Wild and Scenic Rivers System. It will also transfer 30,000 acres of federal and private land into a trust under the control of the Burns Paiute Tribe.
The bill holds the land in trust for the Burns Paiute Tribe in Malheur County, as well as authorizing grazing management programs to improve the ecological health of the land.
The bill requires the Malheur C.E.O. Group to support initiatives such as the implementation of projects on BLM land. This will include the conservation of cultural sites, ecological restoration, the management of invasive species, improvements to the rangelands, economic development, and recreation management.
The bill designated wilderness areas as the Mary Gautreaux Owyhee River Canyon Wilderness and the Upper West Little Owyhee Wilderness. It also stipulates the creation of loop roads and safety upgrades to the Owyhee Dam Road by the Department of Transport (DOT).
The bill also requires land to be taken into trust for the Burns Paiute Tribe, and to establish a Castle Rock Co-Stewardship Area.
Owyhee Canyonlands are of Significant Economic Value
The Owyhee Canyonlands are of significant cultural and economic value to the Northern Paiute, Bannock, and Shoshone tribes as they provide an income from tourism in Malheur County. The canyonlands are also home to the threatened sage grouse, as well as bighorn sheep, deer, and elk.
A growing problem in the area is that animal habitats are at risk from wildfires because of invasive plants, and fish life in the Owyhee River is challenged by cattle grazing and badly preserved riparian areas.
The Owyhee bill has been championed by Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, supported by Republican Rep. Cliff Bentz.
The bill has also received the support of Governor Tina Kotek who asked President Joe Biden to protect the canyonlands under the Antiquities Act – declaring the area a National Monument as it holds cultural and historical significance.
However, Wyden wants congressional protection because national monuments can be challenged by lawsuits – a possibility if President-elect Donald Trump removes monument designations, as he did when previously serving his first term as president.
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