Bill to expand Oregon Caves passes Senate

Statesman Journal
By Zach Urness
July 10, 2014

A bill that would expand the Oregon Caves National Monument by 4,070 acres and grant a subterranean river Wild and Scenic protection passed the U.S. Senate Wednesday night.

The Oregon Caves Revitalization Act would increase the monument's size by almost nine times – its only 488 acres currently – and apply federal protection to the River Styx, which travels through the marble caves 20 miles east of Cave Junction.

The bill's supporters believe expansion would create a more complete visitor experience and increase tourism in an area, rural Josephine County, that could use the economic boost.

"It would literally put the Oregon Caves on the map — or at least make them more noticeable to tourists, since right now it's quite small and people traveling from the redwoods to Crater Lake often miss it," said Rob Smith, northwest regional director for the National Parks Conservation Association. "This expansion would make it a full-service destination."

At present, the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest manages the land surrounding the monument. The bill would transfer 4,070 acres to National Park Service control, presumably to create a more cohesive system of the trails that wind over Mount Elijah and down to Bigelow Lakes, home to a high diversity of rare plants and flowers.

The push for expanding the Oregon Caves isn't a new idea. In fact, expansion proposals were floated in 1939, 1949, 2000 before picking up steam in 2007.

But this is the first time that legislation, sponsored by Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Peter DeFazio, has made it through the Senate. The bill now moves to the U.S. House.

Joseph Vaile, executive director of Ashland-based Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center, said he's cautiously optimistic about approval.

"It's such a small area that we're talking about — 4,000 acres — that there isn't much opposition, and the economic benefit is so obvious it has a lot of business support," Vaile said. "If you can get just some of the people to stay longer, to enjoy trails and campgrounds, that creates a very positive ripple effect for the area."

Oregon Caves averages 80,894 visits per year, according to NPS. The moment was establishd in 1909 by President William Howard Taft.

Zach Urness has been an outdoors writer, photographer and videographer in Oregon for six years. He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. For more news, adventures and trips see Our Oregon Outdoors on Facebook or ZachsORoutdoors on Twitter.