LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — New legislation introduced Tuesday by Lake County’s two members of Congress seeks to expand the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument to protect the Walker Ridge area, which will be renamed in honor of the area’s tribal history.

Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA-03) introduced the “Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Expansion Act” (H.R.6366) with Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA-05) as the bill’s original cosponsor.

This legislation would expand the National Monument designated by President Obama in 2015 by nearly 4,000 acres to include an adjacent federally owned land parcel in Lake County known as the “Walker Ridge” tract.

The 330,780-acre National Monument covers Napa, Yolo, Solano, Lake, Colusa, Glenn and Mendocino counties. Two-thirds of it is located within Lake County.

In November 2019, the Board of Supervisors presented a proclamation declaring the town of Lucerne as the gateway to the National Monument following action by the Lucerne Town Hall in September.

“Conserving California’s special places has been a lifelong passion throughout my tenure in the state legislature, as deputy secretary of the Interior to President Clinton, and now as a member of Congress representing Lake County. Walker Ridge is one of those special places, and I am thrilled to continue working in Congress to conserve this unique landscape for future generations of Californians to enjoy,” said Garamendi.

“In 2016, I worked to designate the Berryessa Snow Mountain region as a National Monument to protect the pristine landscape and biodiversity of the region while creating countless recreational opportunities and boosting our local economy. This legislation will expand the Snow Mountain region to include Walker Ridge, protecting even more public land. I’m honored to work with Congressman Garamendi to ensure that our public lands are protected for generations to come,” said Thompson.

Congressman Garamendi’s bill also renames the entire ridgeline in Lake and Colusa counties from “Walker Ridge” to “Condor Ridge — which means “Molok Luyuk” in the Patwin language — befitting the area’s cultural significance to Native Americans like the federally recognized Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation.

“Molok Luyuk — or Condor Ridge — is a special part of Northern California and deserves special protections. We appreciate Congressman Garamendi’s leadership on this and his insistence that Native American voices be part of the conversation,” said Chairman Anthony Roberts of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation. “Our ancestors traveled and traded there for centuries. With these protections, the unique resources on Molok Luyuk will endure, and Californians will be able to enjoy its natural beauty for generations to come.”

Today, the area known as Walker Ridge attracts a wide range of people who use the Bureau of Land Management, or BLM, property to hike, ride horses, cycle, birdwatch, and drive legal off-highway vehicles.

The legislation would provide much-needed, lasting protection for Molok Luyuk along with the requirement for a Monument Management Plan within one year.

The legislation also would secure ongoing comanagement with affected federally recognized tribes by requiring federal agencies to consult with tribes in the development of the management plan, subsequent management decisions, and “continued meaningful engagement” in the implementation of the plan.

Don Amador, a longtime trail recreation and resource management professional, explained that Molok Luyuk’s management plan would make it easier for the BLM to designate routes that provide connectivity to increase public access and enhance recreation opportunities for all user groups.

“The expanded monument also would mark an important step toward helping the State of California and the Biden Administration meet the critical goal of protecting 30% of U.S. lands and waters by the year 2030,” added Elyane Stefanick, California program director for the Conservation Lands Foundation, in reference to California’s 30x30 Initiative and the federal America the Beautiful call-to-action.

"Conservation Lands Foundation supports Congressman Garamendi’s goal to expand the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument and ensure this remarkable landscape has a robust management plan,” Stefanick said. “The history of public lands is complex. The addition of Molok Luyuk honors the original stewards and caretakers of these lands and will help protect the area’s rich biodiversity.”

Many years of effort

Currently managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the area currently known as Walker Ridge is “a jewel of biodiversity,” said Nick Jensen, conservation program director for the California Native Plant Society, referring to Molok Luyuk’s 30 species of rare plants, ancient blue oak woodlands, rugged rock outcrops, wildflower meadows and extensive stands of McNab cypress.

For years, advocates called for lasting protection of Walker Ridge, helping to deter repeated development proposals for large-scale wind energy.

The wind energy proposals persist, despite the California Energy Commission’s finding that the area had only moderate to low energy potential.

In 2005 and again in 2011, CNPS submitted proposals to designate the region an Area of Critical Environmental Concern over worries that the area’s irreplaceable habitats would be permanently altered.

In 2014, Congressman Thompson championed bicameral legislation to establish the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, with then-Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Congressman Garamendi.

In July 2015, President Obama declared the federal land surrounding Lake Berryessa as a National Monument, at the Congressmen’s urging.

On July 29, 2021, Congressman Garamendi announced a public comment period on this draft legislation to expand the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument.

Over the nearly 200 public comments submitted to the Congressman’s office, all but one supported the proposed expansion.

“Congressman Garamendi has given California a precious gift by working to secure permanent protection for Molok Luyuk,” said Jensen. “We thank him for listening and responding to our Tribal partners and coalition of scientists, outdoor enthusiasts, and conservation advocates.”

“The Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Expansion Act will safeguard Molok Luyuk’s natural beauty, wildlife, rare plants, and indigenous treasures while respecting Tribal stewardship over the lands,” said Tuleyome Executive Director Sandra Schubert. “It will also secure continued recreation opportunities in the area while providing a boost for local communities that have long called for permanent protection of the area. We commend Congressman Garamendi for this historic legislation protecting Molok Luyuk and all of the Monument’s treasures.”

The Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Expansion Act would:

• Expand the existing National Monument to include approximately 3,925 acres of adjacent public land administered by the BLM in Lake County known previously as the “Walker Ridge” tract.

• Not impact privately owned, state, tribal, or nonfederal land in any way and does not include the portion of the BLM’s Walker Ridge tract in Colusa County.

• Direct the BLM and the U.S. Forest Service, or USFS, to finally complete the management plan for the National Monument, unfinished since 2015.

• Require the federal land management agencies (BLM and USFS) to engage in meaningful consultation with federally recognized Indian tribes regarding the development and implementation of the National Monument’s management plan.

• Provide opportunities for federal land management agencies (BLM and USFS) to enter into voluntary agreements with federally recognized Indian tribe for day-to-day management of the National Monument, including historic preservation, archaeological sites and forest health.

• Rename the BLM’s entire “Walker Ridge” tract in Lake and Colusa counties to “Condor Ridge” translated from “Molok Luyuk” in the Patwin language of the Yocha Dehe and other federally recognized tribes indigenous to the area.

Those endorsing the bill include the Lake County Board of Supervisors, Yocha Dehe, Sierra Club, California Wilderness Coalition, California Native Plant Society and the Woodland-based nonprofit, Tuleyome.

Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Expansion Act text by LakeCoNews on Scribd