President Obama should not create a 2.5 million-acre Owyhee Canyonlands National Monument before he leaves office next year without first persuading those who live nearby that it’s a good idea.

In an advisory vote Tuesday, voters in sparsely populated Malheur County overwhelmingly rejected the idea. With a turnout of about 54 percent — high in an election with a single measure on the ballot — fully 90 percent of voters opposed the idea.

The area in question, some 43 percent of the county, is wild and undoubtedly beautiful. It’s lightly populated, and most of those who do live there make their living on cattle and crops, with grazing leases on much of the land in question. They fear a wilderness designation would end their ability to run cattle or grow corn or hay, and that, in turn, would end their ability to support themselves.

Meanwhile, they argue, they’ve worked hard and long to protect the land and the animals, including the sage grouse, and water that are found there. It’s no surprise they don’t want to see that work go for nothing.

So far, the Department of the Interior, which would be involved in any decision about the proposed monument, has been quiet about the idea. Secretary Sally Jewell did say no work was being done on the proposal by her agency. Too, according to a letter from U.S. Rep. Greg Walden to Jewell sent Thursday, she did commit to letting him know if that changed.

It may be that a monument makes sense. What does not make sense is simply cramming it down the throats of those who live and work in the area. So far they have not been persuaded that the change will do anything but diminish their livelihoods, impel many of them to move elsewhere and hurt the communities in which they live. Until that view changes, the proposal should stay just that, a proposal.