NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Officials, business owners, ranchers, sportsmen and more than 350 residents from around northern California welcomed Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and the Environment Robert Bonnie to a public meeting in Napa on Friday to discuss a national monument designation for the Berryessa Snow Mountain region.
Located less than one hundred miles from the Sacramento and Bay Area metro areas, the Berryessa Snow Mountain region provides numerous outdoor recreation activities including white water rafter in Cache Creek, hunting, fishing and hiking.
“The Berryessa Snow Mountain region provides easily-accessible opportunities for those living in Sacramento and the Bay Area to come up for a weekend and enjoy the recreation that this area has to offer,” said Lake County Supervisor Denise Rushing, who spoke on the panel at the public meeting. “The benefits of such protection will extend far beyond the land itself to the surrounding areas, bringing new visitors to our communities as they take advantage of our recreational opportunities.”
A recent economic report stated a national monument would increase visitation to the region by 20 to 30 percent, generating up to $50 million for local economies over a five-year period following a designation.
The boards of supervisors for Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Solano and Yolo counties – all of the counties within the proposal – passed resolutions of support for the designation.
As a national monument, the public lands in the Berryessa Snow Mountain proposal would remain open to hunting, outdoor recreation and grazing.
The proposal has support from groups including Trout Unlimited, International Mountain Bicycling Association, the Blue Ribbon Coalition, Back Country Horsemen of America, and the National Latino Farmer and Rancher Trade Association.
“There is no fishing or hunting without good habitat – pure and simple,” said professional fly-fisherman and guide Jordon Romney. “The Berryessa Snow Mountain public lands include many streams and lakes that support outstanding fishing for trout and bass. Hunting and fishing are allowed in national monuments, and President Obama should guarantee that the excellent fishing and hunting opportunities in the Berryessa Snow Mountain public lands will be protected in perpetuity, by designating them as a national monument.”
“As adjacent property owners to the proposed National Monument designation, we worked with Congressman Thompson on his National Conservation Area legislation to ensure that private property rights were respected and protected,” commented ranchers John and Judy Ahmann. “As cattle ranchers it is also important to us that the National Monument encompasses the intent of the current legislation to allow continued grazing on these lands. We applaud Congressman Thompson for introducing the National Conservation Area legislation, but agree that if Congress will not take action to permanently protect the Berryessa Snow Mountain region, then the President should.”
A national monument would also ensure that the public lands were managed in a way to safeguard the area's natural beauty, wildlife habitat and rare plants.
“These lands in our wild backyard are one of Northern California’s best kept secrets,” said Sara Husby, executive director of Tuleyome. “It’s encouraging to see the huge show of support for the designation. It’s not every day that hikers, horseback riders, hunters, anglers, OHV users, and mountain bikers rally together to get things done, but it’s really exciting to see this happening.”
"Protecting the Berryessa Snow Mountain region as a National Monument is a great option at this time,” said Napa County Supervisor Keith Caldwell, who also attended Friday’s meeting. “If Congress will not take action, then President Obama should use his authority to protect the area for the benefit of current and future generations.”
Local, state, federal officials discuss Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument at Friday meeting
- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On