Close to Home: Conserve tribal lands for future generations

As a resident of and supervisor for Lake County, I appreciate the cultural and historical landscapes, natural beauty and outdoor recreational opportunities our area has to offer. One such special destination is the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. This national monument permanently protects over 330,700 acres of public land stretching from Napa County through Lake County to Mendocino County.

I’m excited to share that we have an opportunity to expand Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument to adjacent public lands. Our area’s congressional champions have introduced legislation to achieve this goal and — along with the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation — called on President Joe Biden use his authority under the Antiquities Act to expand the monument.

I strongly support the expansion of Berryessa Snow Mountain to include the entirety of Molok Luyuk — currently referred to as Walker Ridge. Doing so would safeguard lands with great cultural significance for area tribes, important wildlife and plant habitat and places that are beloved for outdoor recreation activities.

Molok Luyuk (Patwin for Condor Ridge) is located to the eastern side of the current monument. When the monument was established in 2015 part of Molok Luyuk was included and part of it was left out. That has left an area with incredible cultural significance unprotected. The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, which supports expansion of the monument, has a connection to these lands going back thousands of years.

As a former chairman of the Robinson Rancheria, I understand how special and sacred sites are to tribes. Many villages and historical sites of local tribes have been lost since the 1800s. Molok Luyuk was a travel route used by local tribes for years. The Yocha Dehe and local tribes desire these lands to be permanently protected. As part of this change, I hope to see a return to the Indigenous name for the ridge, Molok Luyuk, which was chosen by the Yocha Dehe. I also support the approach that has been recommended by tribes for federally recognized tribes to comanage the area.

Molok Luyuk also deserves protection because of the incredible biodiversity of the area. These lands are home to over 30 rare plant species and include a mix of oak woodlands and pine forests, rocky outcroppings, wildflower meadows and the world’s largest stand of McNab cypress. Molok Luyuk provides habitat for bears, cougars and tule elk and is an important wildlife corridor. Hawks, eagle and peregrine falcons can be spotted soaring above these lands. In my culture, hawks are a positive sign for a good outcome and materials for regalia. So, if a hawk is in the area, we feel a sense of peace and solace as the ancestors are watching over us.

In addition, I am enthusiastic about what expanding the monument will mean for outdoor recreation activities that locals and visitors enjoy. Popular activities on these lands include hiking, mountain biking, photography and more. Adding these lands to Berryessa Snow Mountain would mean they would be managed along with the monument. It could bring additional resources for trail construction, maintenance and improved public access.

Last year, Biden designated Camp Hale National Monument in Colorado, and he has shared that he plans to protect another area of great tribal significance — Avi Kwa Ame in Nevada. I am grateful that he is taking steps to conserve public lands and areas of great tribal significance. I urge the president to look west to California and Berryessa Snow Mountain to continue building on this legacy. Protecting Molok Luyuk would truly be a gift to future generations.

Eddie “EJ” Crandell is a Lake County supervisor.

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