Craig Pope

'A timeframe for implementing new management priorities consistent with the court's ruling is yet to be determined. However, when those new priorities are in place in the form of a new management plan, the impacts for O&C counties and adjacent timber dependent communities could be significant.' On Nov. 25, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled in favor of the Association of O&C Counties in a lawsuit brought by the association challenging the federal management plan applicable to O&C lands.

The Editorial Board makes a curious case for an “untouched” Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, in light of the Interior Department’s recent recommendation to modify its boundaries. Much of this land is not untouched and regardless of what happens next, the land will remain in public ownership and accessible to all. The real issue is whether the federal government will follow its own laws and keep its promises to rural Oregon counties and communities.