Preserving tribal heritage: President Biden expands Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument

May 2—U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday announced the expansion of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, which covers parts of Colusa County, and the renaming of a ridgeline in an effort to conserve and restore national lands.

As part of Biden's "America the Beautiful Initiative," action taken Thursday was a 13,696-acre expansion of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument in Northern California's Inner Coast Range. This includes the protection of an 11-mile-long "north-south ridgeline that is sacred to the Patwin people and hosts a mosaic of rare natural features supported by the area's unique geologic and hydrologic features," officials said.

The presidential proclamation also includes a permanent renaming of the ridgeline, which was previously known as "Walker Ridge," to "Molok Luyuk," which according to federal officials means "Condor Ridge" in the language of the Patwin people.

"Locally led conservation efforts are at the heart of what we are advancing in the Biden-Harris administration. Molok Luyuk is sacred to the Tribes who have long advocated for its protection and maintain a deep connection with this land and thanks to President Biden's leadership, it will now be protected for future generations," U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement on Thursday. "Today I am honored to stand with the Tribal leaders, local communities, and coalitions that made the expansion of this monument possible."

U.S. Rep. John Garamendi applauded the move by Biden which will now protect federally owned public land in Lake and Colusa counties, land he said encompasses the entirety of the Molok Luyuk region within the monument.

"Conserving California's natural beauty has been a lifelong passion throughout my tenure in the state legislature, as Deputy Secretary of the Interior to President (Bill) Clinton, and now as a member of Congress," Garamendi said in a statement. "In 2022, I introduced the 'Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Expansion Act' with Senator Alex Padilla and Congressman Mike Thompson. I am thrilled that President Biden has issued this presidential proclamation to expand the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument and preserve the tribal wisdom, heritage, and cultural traditions that 'Molok Luyuk' or Condor Ridge has been home to for over 11,000 years. I thank President Biden and Interior Secretary Haaland for conserving this special place forever."

Garamendi said in 2013 that Thompson sponsored legislation, which was cosponsored by Garamendi, that called for the initial designation of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. Later in July 2015, President Barack Obama issued a presidential proclamation designating federal land surrounding the Lake Berryessa reservoir as a new national monument, Garamendi said.

It is managed by the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service.

"Lands within the monument have sustained Indigenous Peoples since time immemorial," federal officials said. "In recognition of the importance to the Patwin people, including the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, the Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation, and the Cachil Dehe Band of Wintun Indians, the proclamation directs the Secretary of the Interior to explore co-stewardship agreements within the expansion area, including for educational efforts regarding the history of the Tribal Nations."

The Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument now includes more than 340,000 acres of public land and it is subject to valid existing rights, officials said. The monument designation applies to existing federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), but it does not apply to or affect tribal land, private, state or local government property.

"With today's action, President Biden has lifted up the voices of Tribes and the local community, honoring collaborative conservation for a place that deserves protection," BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning said in a statement. "Molok Luyuk will undoubtedly become one of the treasures of the monument, and we look forward to working with the Tribes to manage it."

Officials with the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation requested the expansion, noting that it had a "long and significant connection to Molok Luyuk, stretching back thousands of years."

According to the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, it is a "self-governed, sovereign nation" that supports its citizens by "strengthening our culture, stewarding our land, and creating economic independence for future generations. We are committed to building strong communities and developing effective partnerships with our neighbors in California's Capay Valley and regionally in Yolo, Solano, Colusa, Lake, and Napa counties, where our people have lived from time immemorial."

The ridge now called Molok Luyuk includes areas where religious ceremonies are practiced and sites that were central to vital trading routes, the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation said.

"Molok Luyuk is a special and sacred place for area Tribes and for many residents who enjoy recreation activities like hiking and mountain biking," Lake County Supervisor E.J. Crandell, also of the Robinson Rancheria Tribe, said in a statement. "The natural beauty of our homelands also drives tourism, which is key to the economic vitality of the region. The President protecting these beautiful lands is a gift to future generations."

Anthony Roberts, chairman of the Tribal Council of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, also praised Biden on Thursday.

"We thank President Biden for signing the proclamation expanding the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument and protecting Molok Luyuk, an area steeped in thousands of years of rich history and profound meaning to the Patwin people, whose traditional territory stretches south from these hills to the shores of San Pablo Bay and east to the Sacramento River. Elements of the natural landscape on the ridge have traditional cultural significance to us. We look forward to the day when condors fly over Molok Luyuk once again," Roberts said in a statement.

The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation highlighted that a "key provision" in the expansion is the establishment of "co-management between the Patwin tribes in Yolo and Colusa counties and the Bureau of Land Management."