With progress stalled in Congress, advocates urge Biden to expand Berryessa monument

Last year, environmental groups and tribes rallied behind a proposed expansion of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. They first attempted to achieve the expansion through congressional legislation introduced last March — but it stalled. 

Sandra Schubert, the executive director of the conservation nonprofit Tuleyome, said she and other supporters are now pursuing an alternate route to make the expansion happen. 

“We’d still love to see the legislation pass … but it doesn't look like that's going to happen in this Congress,” Schubert said. “So we are pursuing a Antiquities Act presidential proclamation, adding Molok Luyuk to Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. That is what we’re most hopeful will be the avenue to success.”

Protecting Molok Luyuk, a haven of biological diversity in Northern California

The monument stretches from Napa to Mendocino counties and was established in 2015. The expansion area, a swath of land in the monument’s center, was excluded from that original designation. 

Advocates say this land — also called Molok Luyuk, which means “Condor Ridge” in Patwin — is a haven of biological diversity. It also holds special historic significance for Tribes in the area.

Under the Antiquities Act of 1906, the Biden administration has the power to expand the Berryessa monument. This power has previously been used by this administration — and others before it — to establish monuments. Schubert said part of that process includes proving local backing.

“What we need to do now is, we need to continue to focus, continue to build the groundswell and the broadened support,” she said. 

Erika Brink, a spokesperson for Tuleyome, said she’s encouraged by local support for the expansion she saw in a public meeting hosted by the Bureau of Land Management and the USDA Forest Service in December. The site also received a visit from Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland last September. 

Brink said these events often precede the recognition of a monument.

“I know that that's really important to the administration, to hear from the folks locally who will be impacted by any decisions like this,” Brink said of the community meeting. “It feels like a good sign on our end that they came out and had that meeting and heard from the public.” 

Democratic legislators for California Senator Alex Padilla and Representative John Garamendi, who introduced the March bill, have also pivoted to urging the Biden administration to recognize the area through the Antiquities Act.