Community Members Express Unanimous Support for Proposed Expansion of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument

Over 200 People Attend A Community Meeting As Momentum Continues to Grow for Effort to Protect Molok Luyuk

WOODLAND, CA — At a community meeting today hosted by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the USDA Forest Service (USFS), attendees called on President Biden to expand Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. Nada Wolff Culver, Principal Deputy Director at the Bureau of Land Management, Karen Mouritsen of BLM California, and Wade McMaster, Mendocino National Forest Supervisor, representing Regional Forester Jennifer Eberlien attended the meeting and heard from over 75 speakers who unanimously expressed their support. 

Attendees included tribal leaders, local elected officials, scientists, conservation advocates, outdoor recreationists, and local residents and community members. Over 88,000 supporters have signed a petition urging President Biden to use the Antiquities Act to expand the monument.

The proposed expansion area - Molok Luyuk - is located on the eastern edge of the existing monument and includes 13,753 acres of BLM-managed public lands in Lake and Colusa County. Expanding the monument will help safeguard lands that are sacred to the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, and preserve important wildlife corridors and the area’s distinct biodiversity.

“Many of the plant and animal species within Molok Luyuk are traditionally important to the lifeways of the Patwin people, and we consider their protection and stewardship to be part of our sacred responsibility to the land,” said Yocha Dehe Tribal Chairman Anthony Roberts. 

The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, which is requesting the expansion, has a long and significant connection to Molok Luyuk, stretching back thousands of years. The ridge includes areas where religious ceremonies are practiced and sites that were central to vital trading routes. A key goal of this effort is also to establish co-management with federally recognized Tribes and to return to an Indigenous name for these lands. Molok Luyuk is Patwin for “Condor Ridge” and is a name provided by the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation. Currently, the area is referred to as “Walker Ridge.”

“Molok Luyuk is a special and sacred place for area Tribes and for many local residents who enjoy recreation activities like hiking and mountain biking,” added Lake County Supervisor E.J. Crandell, a member of the Robinson Rancheria Tribe. “The natural beauty of our home also drives tourism, which is key to the economic vitality of the region. Protecting these beautiful lands would be a gift to future generations.”

Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument stretches from Napa County in the south to Mendocino County in the north, encompassing 330,780 acres of public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). President Obama designated the national monument in 2015 using the Antiquities Act, a 1906 law that grants U.S. Presidents the ability to designate federal public lands, waters, and cultural and historical sites as national monuments. 

Earlier this year, elected officials, community leaders, and residents joined Senator Padilla, the late Senator Feinstein, Representative Garamendi, Representative Thompson, and the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation in calling on President Biden to expand Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument using the Antiquities Act. Northern California Tribes, local elected officials, businesses, neighboring landowners, and over 300 scientists support the proposed expansion. 

Today’s community meeting represents a critical step forward in the effort to protect Molok Luyuk and follows a September visit to the area from Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Bureau of Land Management Director Tracy Stone-Manning.

“Molok Luyuk is a gem of rich cultural heritage and history, diverse wildlife and rare plants, stunning natural beauty, and accessible recreational activities,” said Sandra Schubert, Executive Director of Tuleyome, leader of a local conservation organization. “We are deeply grateful to BLM Deputy Director Nada Culver and Wade McMaster of the USFS for spending the time to listen to our community's desire to protect these special lands right in their backyard. We urge President Biden to expand the existing monument and permanently protect the entirety of Molok Luyuk.”

The proposed expansion area includes oak woodlands, rocky outcroppings, wildflower meadows, the largest known stand of McNab cypress, and dozens of rare plant species. Protecting the landscape would help the state of California and the Biden Administration meet their shared goals of protecting 30% of lands and waters by 2030. 

“As an avid OHV recreationist, I strongly support expanding Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument to include Molok Luyuk,” said Don Amador, former chair of the CA State Park Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission and one of three OHV users who spoke at the meeting in favor of the expansion. “The permanent protection of Molok Luyuk will improve the management of these lands and increase public access to recreation opportunities. This is a win-win for our community and I add my voice in support of President Biden using the Antiquities Act to expand the monument.” 

To learn more about this effort and to sign a petition in support of the expansion of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, visit www.expandberryessa.org.

# # #

For interviews in English and Spanish, please contact Erika Brink at erika@fcpcommunications.com or (951) 553-3561.

For interviews with the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, please contact Crystal Smyth Schneider, Director of Communications at csmyth@yochadehe.gov (some interviews will be granted upon request).