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A Monumental Accord: Cattle and Conservation on Steens Mountain
Featured Story
Steens Mountain is a spectacular place -- and the four men who gathered at Roaring Springs Ranch
in Harney County during the summer of 2000 would agree. But the men each had different ideas for
the future of the mountain. Two hailed from environmental organizations, and two represented ranching interests.
Brought together by U.S. Congressional staff, the men were attempting to reach a compromise – a
solution that would protect both the Steens' ecology and its ranching tradition. Clearly,
the preservation of the mountain was a priority for each person. But the challenge lay in determining how to do just that.
As President Clinton’s last term was drawing to a close, politics brought together a group of Oregonians
with very different backgrounds. In 1999, President Clinton sought to leave an environmental legacy, and
one way to do so was to create national monuments – park-like protected areas that encompass landmarks
with special national significance. That fall, Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt visited Burns, Oregon,
and proposed designating Steens Mountain, then a patchwork of public and private lands, as a national monument.
However, this suggestion created an uproar in Burns, as citizens contemplated the changes this designation could bring to their land.
View the multi-media story, A Monumental Accord: Cattle & Conservation on Steens Mountain
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