Owyhee Canyonlands: There's no better time to protect an Oregon gem

The Owyhee Canyonlands are a desert gem. Herds of pronghorn antelope roam along the rims of spectacular canyons. Desert big horn sheep stand in relief along sheer cliffs, and golden eagles cruise above sparkling waters.

The Owyhee Canyonlands may be one of the most remote places left in the continental United States, but they are no longer out of sight. The Obama administration has authority under the Antiquities Act to establish this place as a National Monument. A recent memo circulating within the Interior Department places the Oregon Owyhee high on a list of prospective candidates for national monument designation. Whether and when the president might act is anybody's guess.

There is, however, an even better alternative for the protection of the Owyhee Canyonlands. Rather than waiting passively for the president to act, Oregonians can create their own plan to protect this amazing landscape located in the rugged and remote corner of southeastern Oregon, just as a broad coalition of local government, ranching, recreation and conservation interests did across the state line in Idaho.

In Idaho, local interests took a holistic look at the region and came to agreement over how the Idaho Owyhee should best be managed over the long term. Among other outcomes, certainty over the long-term management of this outstanding region was attained, ranchers were given the ability to voluntarily retire and sell their grazing permits, local development funding avenues were created and significant areas were protected as wilderness and wild and scenic rivers. By rolling up their sleeves and working together, Idahoans were able to ensure their needs and interests were properly considered as the Owyhee initiative moved forward and was passed into law in 2009.

Oregonians have had experience with local consensus processes as well. The state recently marked the 10th anniversary of the legislation that created the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area, also located in southeastern Oregon. The plan for Steens Mountain protection began back when I first suggested to President Bill Clinton that he use the Antiquities Act to establish a Steens Mountain National Monument.

As word spread of a possible designation, we opted instead to let Oregonians develop a plan, rather than imposing protection through a national monument from Washington, D.C. Working with local elected officials and a broad range of stakeholders, an Oregon solution was formulated.

After much consultation and back-and-forth discussion with local stakeholders, what emerged was congressional legislation that protected more than a half-million acres of public land. Because it was a local solution, the result was a bipartisan bill sponsored by the entire Oregon congressional delegation that passed without controversy.

Out in the beautiful Owyhee Canyonlands, many of the pieces are ready to assemble. There are 17 Wilderness Study Areas awaiting congressional action, as well as other adjacent federal lands that clearly qualify for wilderness protection. The upper reaches of the Owyhee and the West Little Owyhee Rivers have been designed as wild and scenic, serving as the base for expanded protection of the river basin tributaries.

All these places now await protection through either national monument designation or congressional wilderness legislation to create a protected area that Oregonians and all Americans will cherish for decades to come. I'm encouraged that some local interests have already indicated a willingness to sit down and attempt to forge a locally based solution for this magnificent landscape.

There's still time for Oregon to take the lead.

Bruce Babbitt served as governor of Arizona from 1978 to 1987 and as secretary of the interior from 1993 to 2001.