Proc. 7318 Title 3--The President Proclamation 7318 of June 9, 2000 Establishment of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation With towering fir forests, sunlit oak groves, wildflower-strewn meadows, and stoop canyons, the Cascado-Siskiyou National Monument is an ecologi- cal wonder, with biological diversity unmatched in the Cascade Range. This rich enclave of natural resources is a biological crossroads--the inter- face of the Cascade, Klamath, and Siskiyou ocorogions, in an area of unique geology, biology, climate, and topography. The monument is homo to a spectacular variety of rare and beautiful spe- cies of plants and animals, whose survival in this region depends upon its continued ecological integrity. Plant communities present a rich mosaic of grass and shrublands, Garry and California black oak woodlands, juniper scablands, mixed conifer and white fir forests, and wet meadows. Stream bottoms support broad-leaf deciduous riparian trees and shrubs. Special plant communities include rosaceous chaparral and oak-juniper wood- lands. The monument also contains many rare and endemic plants, such as Greene's Mariposa lily, Genther's fritillary, and Bollingor's meadowfoam. The monument supports an exceptional range of fauna, including one of the highest diversities of butterfly species in the United States. The Jenny Crook portion of the monument is a significant center of fresh water snail diversity, and is homo to three endemic fish species, including a long-iso- lated stock of rodband trout. The monument contains important popu- lations of small mammals, reptile and amphibian species, and ungulates, including important winter habitat for door. It also contains old growth habitat crucial to the threatened Northern spotted owl and numerous other bird species such as the western bluebird, the western meadowlark, the pi- leated woodpecker, the fiammulated owl, and the pygmy nuthatch. The monument's geology contributes substantially to its spectacular bio- logical diversity. The majority of the monument is within the Cascade Mountain Range. The western edge of the monument lies within the older Klamath Mountain geologic province. The dynamic plate tectonics of the area, and the mixing of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary geological formations, have resulted in diverse lithologios and soils. Along with peri- ods of geological isolation and a range of environmental conditions, the complex geologic history of the area has been instrumental in producing the diverse vegetative and biological richness seen today. One of the most striking features of the Western Cascades in this area is Pilot Rock, located near the southern boundary of the monument. The rock is a volcanic plug, a remnant of a feeder vent left after a volcano eroded away, leaving an outstanding example of the inside of a volcano. Pilot Rock has sheer, vertical basalt faces up to 400 feet above the talus slope at its base, with classic columnar jointing created by the cooling of its andosito composition. The Siskiyou Pass in the southwest corner of the monument contains por- tions of the Oregon/California Trail, the rogion's main north/south travel route first established by Native Americans in prehistoric times, and used 98
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