Officials oppose potential Douglas fir monument in Oregon

ALBANY, Ore. (AP) — Local officials say they strongly oppose a proposal by environmental groups to create a Douglas fir National Monument in western Oregon.


The Albany Democrat-Herald reports (http://bit.ly/1TeGBJ6 ) that a coalition of environmental groups would like to designate nearly 500,000 acres in Linn and Marion counties as national monument.

Linn County Commissioner Will Tucker says that would include most of the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management land in his county, plus nearly 50,000 acres of private land if it becomes available for purchase.

Tucker called the proposal "very scary" and "the worst case of land grab" in an email.

Conservation lobbyist Andy Kerr says creating the monument wouldn't mean any additional regulations on state or private land unless they were acquired by the federal government.