To the Editor – From Rusty Liningar
As a combat veteran who has served in armed conflicts overseas, returning home to find healing on our public lands means everything to me. Without these wild places, veterans would not have the ability to find the solace and peace they desperately need.
I run an organization called Source One Serenity in Oregon with my wife. We work with combat veterans to protect and restore public lands. This includes repairing hiking trails on Oregon’s national forests. This work allows us to continue serving our country and to connect with fellow veterans in remote and beautiful areas of Oregon.
A few years ago, Source One Serenity honored Frank Moore, a decorated World War II veteran and iconic fishing guide. Frank and his wife Jeanne spent a lifetime advocating for the protection of Steamboat Creek, a tributary to the fabled North Umpqua River and its world-famous wild summer steelhead. In 2019, President Trump signed into law the Frank and Jeanne Moore Wild Steelhead Sanctuary Act, resulting in the protection of over 100,000 acres of public land on the Umpqua National Forest. Other places Oregon veterans have helped protect include the Elliott State Forest, Kalmiopsis Wilderness in the Siskiyou National Forest, and Devil’s Staircase Wilderness in the Siuslaw National Forest.
Wild, public lands are so vital for our veterans, their cathartic healing qualities cannot be overstated.
Veterans are now asking Sens. Wyden and Merkley to designate the Owyhee in southeast Oregon as a national monument. The Owyhee offers world-class fishing and hunting opportunities and is home to native redband trout, chukar, mule deer, elk, and California bighorn sheep. It is also threatened by industrial development and has experienced increased recreation as more and more visitors flock to the area.
Sen. Wyden reintroduced his Owyhee legislation this Congress to better protect and manage these public lands. This bill is the result of years of negotiation between residents, anglers and hunters, ranchers, and tribes. Unfortunately, this bill is stalled in Congress while threats to the Owyhee are mounting. That is why veterans are asking Sens. Wyden and Merkley to designate the Owyhee as a national monument before these prized public lands are mined, covered in solar panels, and divided by transmission facilities. A monument designation can stop these threats and be a win for fishing, hunting, and ranching.
Rusty Liningar runs Source One Serenity, a veterans organization based in Roseburg.
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