Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Expansion Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. GARAMENDI. Madam Speaker, today I introduce the ``Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Expansion Act,'' with Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA05) as the original cosponsor. Our legislation would expand the National Monument to include approximately 3,925 acres of federal land in Lake County, California; create new co-management opportunities with federally recognized tribes; and rename Walker Ridge to ``Molok Luyuk,'' meaning Condor Ridge in the Patwin language of Native Americans indigenous to the area. It is endorsed by the Lake County Board of Supervisors and the Tribal Council of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation.

In the 114th Congress, I championed bicameral legislation (H.R. 761/ S. 393) to establish the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, with then-Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Congressman Thompson. Our legislation would have included the Walker Ridge tract in Lake and Colusa Counties, California, administered by the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) within the National Monument's boundary.

In December 2014, Congressman Thompson and I hosted then-Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell at the Lake Berryessa reservoir, so she could view the landscape and hear from local community and tribal leaders about the need to permanently conserve this special place. Said Secretary Jewell at the time: ``This is a beautiful area with cultural history and great opportunities for outdoor recreation and wildlife viewing so it's no surprise that the community wants to make sure that it is protected and passed on to the next generation.'' In July 2015, President Obama issued Presidential Proclamation 9298, designating the federal land surrounding Lake Berryessa administered by the BLM and U.S. Forest Service as the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument.

The ``Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Expansion Act'' would expand the existing National Monument boundary to include the Lake County portion of Walker Ridge, which the legislation renames to Condor Ridge (Molok Luyuk). This ridgeline is an extinct volcanic mountain range with an unusual ``serpentine'' soil composition supporting a trove of rare and beautiful plant species like the adobe lily (Fritillaria pluriflora) found only in this part of northern California. Other at-risk and protected animal species such as the bald eagle, golden eagle, and tule elk also make their home there.

Our legislation would not affect privately owned, state, tribal, or non-federal land. The federal land parcel proposed for inclusion within the National Monument does not include acreage of the BLM's Walker Ridge tract in Colusa County. Our legislation would also ensure that federally recognized tribes--whose ancestors called the National Monument home for millennia--have a meaningful role in the land stewardship of the National Monument. Finally, our legislation would direct the BLM and the Forest Service to complete the management plan for the National Monument, which has remained unfinished since 2015.

Madam Speaker, I encourage all Members of the California delegation to join us in cosponsoring this legislation to permanently conserve this special place in Lake County. We must protect this unique landscape for future generations to enjoy and honor the Native American peoples who walked this land well before our country was even founded.

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