California’s U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler and U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff are asking President Biden to protect the Medicine Lake Highlands in eastern Siskiyou County that are known to the Pit River Nation as Sáttítla.
The introduction of the proposed Sáttítla National Monument Establishment Act follows a strong push from the North State’s Pit River Tribe and conservation groups, such as Trout Unlimited, Sierra Club and Backcountry Hunters & Anglers of California to draw attention to and federally protect the lands and waters of the region.
The area is managed by the U.S. Forest Service. It spans 206,000 acres of volcanic mountains east of Mt. Shasta and is considered a one-of-a-kind geological formation in North America.
Sáttítla’s underground aquifer feeds a system of streams that support wildlife and supplies fresh water to millions in California.
“Even among California’s remarkable diversity of landscapes and ecosystems, Sáttítla stands out for its exceptionally high fish and wildlife values. The Fall River and its world-renowned trout fishery is dependent on spring-fed flows from this region,” said Joel Weltzien, California’s BHA chapter coordinator in a statement released Aug. 30, a day after the three lawmakers called for the national monument designation.
The Biden Administration has not taken any executive actions on the proposal.
Groups praised the Pit River Tribe for keeping the fight for more than 25 years to bring awareness about their ancestral homelands and the lands’ cultural significance.
The Medicine Lake Highlands is already on the National Register of Historic Places as a Traditional Cultural District, according to Trout Unlimited.
The legislation does face opposition from some lawmakers, including U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale, whose congressional district takes in Medicine Lake Highlands.
LaMalfa has said he doesn’t think putting the area in national monument status is necessary because it is already protected from development. He said receiving permits is already difficult on forest service lands, and forbidding further development would make it more difficult to fight wildfires in the area because there are too few roads.
If the proposal gains support, it could add Sáttítla to a long list of national monuments in California.
What are some famous national monuments in California?Lava Beds National Monument on the northeast flank of Medicine Lake Volcano in Siskiyou and Modoc counties protects more than 800 caves and other geological and historical features near the California-Oregon border.Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument established in 2000 and expanded in 2017 protects 170,686 acres in the Cascade, Klamath and Siskiyou mountain ranges between Siskiyou County in California and Jackson County in Oregon.Tule Lake National Monument, which takes in the concentration camp where Japanese-Americans were incarcerated during World War II, is in Siskiyou and Modoc counties near the California-Oregon border.Giant Sequoia National Monument covers 328,315 acres on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada and protects 33 giant sequoia groves.Mojave Trails National Monument spans 1.6 million acres between Interstates 15 and 40 in Southern California.Sand to Snow National Monument protects 154,000 acres in San Bernardino and northern Riverside counties.Castle Mountains National Monument protects 20,920 acres between Interstates 15 and 40 in eastern Mojave Desert and northeastern San Bernardino County.Muir Woods National Monument is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area near the coast in southwestern Marin County.St. Francis Dam protects 353 acres north of Santa Clarita in northern Los Angeles County.San Gabriel Mountains National Monument protects more than 452,000 acres in northern Los Angeles and western San Bernardino counties.Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument spans 280,000 acres west of Palm Springs in Southern California.Berryessa Snow Mountains National Monument was established in 2015 and expanded in 2024 to protect a total of 344,476 acres along Napa, Yolo, Solano, Lake, Colusa, Glenn and Mendocino counties.California Coastal National Monument protects lands along the Pacific coast.Carrizo Plain National Monument protects more than 200,000 acres from Maricopa and follows the San Andreas Fault in the Central Valley.Fort Ord National Monument protects 14,658 acres in the Monterey Peninsula in Central California.Pinnacles National Monument was elevated to a national park in 2013.Devils Postpile National Monument includes 798 acres near Mammoth Mountain.Cesar E. Chavez National Monument is a 116-acre area in Kern County.Cabrillo National Monument is located in Point Loma Peninsula in San Diego.
An aerial tour of the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument just east of the Coachella Valley, California.
Video: See the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument
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Publish date : 2024-09-05 13:01:00
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