Close to Home: Another gem worth protecting

Our state motto, “Eureka … I have found it!” may stem from the gold rush, but it could just as easily have been inspired by our state’s natural treasures.

California’s bounty of outdoor splendor and scenic wonder draws people from across the country and around the world. Outdoor activities feature prominently in tourism campaigns, and outdoor recreation here generates $85.4 billion in consumer spending, supporting 732,000 jobs, according to the Outdoor Industry Association.

These are just a few reasons protecting these treasures has always made sense to Californians. And it’s just part of the reason why it makes sense to ensure the remaining treasures get the protection they deserve.

Californians love the wild outdoors. For many of us those recreation opportunities are why we moved here or why we stay here.

About 35 years ago, I left the state to go to graduate school and then work in the Midwest and the South. I spent a lot of time exploring the outdoors in those regions and while they have a lot to offer, my memories of special places here quickly drew me back.

Some measure of the extent of California’s natural wealth can been seen in the sheer number of protected wild places. California has 149 designated wilderness areas, more than any other state. We have 26 national parks, which drew more than 35 million visitors last year. The state is home to?36 national landmarks and 11 national monuments.

Four of those national monuments, including the recent designation of San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, were made by President Barack Obama. Among the others are Fort Ord and Cesar Chavez national monuments and the recent addition of Stornetta Public Lands to the California Coastal National Monument in Mendocino County.

Obama’s additions to our public lands are a reminder that there remain many special places in California that need permanent protection.

The Berryessa Snow Mountain region, located north of the Bay Area and west of Sacramento, is just such a place.

This 100-mile expanse of federal public lands stretches from Lake Berryessa to Snow Mountain in the Mendocino National Forest. The region provides an accessible outdoor getaway for hiking, horseback riding, fishing, wildlife watching and more. It even offers white water rafting on Cache Creek.

On a clear day, hikers can see all the way to Mount Shasta from parts of the region.

The Berryessa Snow Mountain region is a wild place that is home to dozens of iconic California wildlife, including the endangered Pacific fisher and one of the state’s largest populations of wintering bald eagles. Putah and Cache Creeks, which flow through the area, are important sources of drinking and irrigation water for nearby communities.

Berryessa Snow Mountain offers that unique California “Eureka” moment for visitors. Its breathtaking beauty and outdoor opportunities are worthy of protection as a national monument.

We’ve seen time and again that protecting special places is good for local communities, good for outdoor economies and good for our state and country as a whole.

Berryessa Snow Mountain is the kind of special place that deserves Obama’s attention and a national monument designation.

Kathryn Phillips of ?Sacramento is director of the Sierra Club, California.