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CURRENTLY UNDER-PROTECTED

Unique Natural Environments and Land Designations

The Siskiyou Crest region is a wonderland of diverse mountain environments, unique plant communities and wildlife habitats.

Well-known for its world-class biodiversity, the area supports a wide variety of habitat types, including vast mixed hardwood forests, old-growth mixed conifer forests, arid pine forests, lush coastal fir forests, sunlit oak woodlands, native grasslands, chaparral, spectacular canyons, dramatic rock outcrops, subalpine forests, moist mountain meadows with sphagnum wetlands, and cobra lily fens percolating through serpentine soils.

Devil's Punchbown in the Siskiyou Wilderness

Although currently under-protected, the Siskiyou Crest region contains an abundance of intact wildland habitats, including some that are protected through Congressional legislation, and a patchwork of administrative designations with varying levels of administrative protections through the Forest Service and BLM.

Only the areas protected through Congressional legislation or the Antiquities Act, such as National Recreation Areas, National Monuments, and Wilderness Areas have permanent, durable protections; whereas, administrative designations have no permanence, sometimes contain loopholes for damaging uses, are often poorly managed and can be changed, altered or eliminated in future Forest Service or BLM management plans.

Permanently Protected

  • 1 National Monument: Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve

  • 2 Designated Wilderness Areas: Red Buttes Wilderness Area and the Siskiyou Wilderness Area

  • A portion of 1 National Recreation Area: Smith River National Recreation Area

Administrative Designations

  • 12 Inventoried Roadless Areas

  • 17 Botanical Areas

  • 3 Geologic Areas

  • 3 Research Natural Areas

  • 2 Lands with Wilderness Characteristics on BLM Lands

  • 6 Areas of Critical Environmental Concern

  • 13 Large Late Successional Reserve Forests

  • 21 BLM Recreation Management Areas

  • 14 Citizen-identified Roadless Areas

Mt. Emily in Red Buttes Wilderness

Located on Medford District BLM, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, Klamath National Forest and Six Rivers National Forest, these unique natural habitats and important conservation areas, and their incredible biological values, would benefit from a more comprehensive and focused approach towards management of the Siskiyou Crest region as a connectivity, climate and biodiversity hotspot. Unfortunately, the management of these areas is not conducted in a unified way and biological objectives in applicable management plans are often never implemented, enforced or achieved.

Learn More About the Siskiyou Crest Region

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