The California–Oregon border national monument will remain intact

The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, near California-Oregon border, will maintain its current size despite the Supreme Court's decision not to consider extension challenges.

The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, a secluded wilderness area situated along the border between California and Oregon, will maintain its current size despite the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on Monday not to consider two challenges to its extension.

Oregon counties and logging interests have petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn a 2017 monument addition. Because Congress had already set aside the land for timber harvests, their complaint said that President Barack Obama had wrongly issued the designation, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The region was granted particular protections, such as a ban on logging, upon receiving monument designation.

According to the Chronicle, the expansion's opponents brought up the more significant and wider topic of whether the president's unrestricted ability to designate national monuments under the Antiquities Act should be limited. The 1906 statute's detractors, who have consistently rejected requests for new designations, claim the executive branch is given excessive authority by this law. The Supreme Court made the decision to sidestep the matter.

Established in 2000, the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument safeguards the biologically significant meeting point of the newer volcanic Cascades and the ancient Siskiyou Mountains. Owing to its diversity, the region is home to a rare variety of flora and fauna, including salamanders, old-growth fir woods, and cacti. Seven years ago, the monument was increased by roughly 48,000 acres (19,400 hectares).