Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument

Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument is a national monument of the United States comprising 330,780 acres (133,860 ha) of the California Coast Ranges in Napa, Yolo, Solano, Lake, Colusa, Glenn and Mendocino counties in northern California.[1] Cache Creek Wilderness is located within the monument.

Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument
Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument
LocationNorthern Inner Coast Ranges, California, U.S.
Nearest cityClearlake, California
Coordinates39°13′0″N 122°46′0″W
Area330,780 acres (133,860 ha)
EstablishedJuly 10, 2015
Governing bodyU.S. Forest Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management
WebsiteBerryessa Snow Mountain National Monument
Cache Creek Wilderness is within the new National Monument
High Bridge Trail in Autumn

Creation

The national monument was created by a proclamation issued on July 10, 2015 by President Barack Obama under the Antiquities Act.[1] Obama also signed proclamations creating two other national monuments (the Basin and Range National Monument in Nevada and the Waco Mammoth National Monument in central Texas) the same day. The monument will be jointly managed by the Mendocino National Forest of the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management[1]

The proclamation of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument came after a campaign for the area's designation, supported by a coalition of counties and cities in the region (many of which passed resolutions of support), the California State Legislature, the Elem Indian Colony of Pomo Indians, state and local political leaders, local newspaper editorial boards, conservationist and environmental organizations, recreation groups, local business owners and landowners.[2][3][4]

Description

The monument extends approximately 100 miles (160 km) from Mendocino County to mountains on either side of Lake Berryessa in Yolo and Napa counties.[5] The monument includes the Snow Mountain, Cache Creek and the Cedar Roughs Wilderness areas.[6][7] The monument, along with the lake, take their name from the Berryessa family of California, a historically prominent Californio family of the Bay Area.

Lake Berryessa itself was not included within the monument's boundaries due to critics' concerns over the possibility that the use of motorized boats, watercraft and Jet Skis could be restricted at some point in the future.[8]

Ecology

Wildlife in the region includes bald eagles, golden eagles, black bears, mountain lions, tule elk, black-tailed deer, northern spotted owl, marten, fisher, California Coastal chinook salmon, and Northern California steelhead.[9] The area is also home to some of the world's rare plants, described as "particularly delicate serpentine plants clinging to otherwise barren and rocky mountainsides."[9][10] The high-elevation Snow Mountain area is one of the most biologically diverse regions in California.[10][5]

Native American history

The area has cultural and historical, as well as ecological, significance. The region has been inhabited by linguistically diverse Native American tribes for 11,000 years — including the Yuki, Nomlaki, Patwin, Pomo, Huchnom, Wappo, Lake Miwok and Wintum indigenous peoples.[10]

See also

References
  1. Secretaries Vilsack and Jewell Laud President Obama's Designation of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument (press release), United States Department of the Interior (July 10, 2015).
  2. Cart, Julie (January 15, 2015). "Activists choose broad path to preserve Berryessa-Snow Mountain area". Los Angeles Times.
  3. "80,000 public comments support for Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument". The Salmon River Mountain Press News. December 18, 2014.
  4. Supporters and About Us: Coalition Parties, BerryessaSnowMountain.org (retrieved July 13, 2015).
  5. Aguiar-Curry, Cecilia (March 11, 2016). "Celebrate Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument". Davis Enterprise. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  6. "Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Map" (PDF). BerryessaSnowMountain.org. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 July 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  7. Murdock, Andy (November 19, 2015). "The joys of isolation at nearby Berryessa Snow Mountain monument". SF Gate.
  8. Rogers, Paul (July 10, 2015). "Obama establishes new national monument in Northern California". San Jose Mercury News.
  9. Peter Fimrite, President Obama to protect huge Berryessa wildland, San Francisco Chronicle (July 10, 2015).
  10. Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, U.S. Forest Service . accessed July 14, 2015.
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