Federal elected officials joined tribal nations and community leaders recently to celebrate new protections to sacred land and wildlife corridors through the expansion of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument.

The monument was expanded by a May 2 proclamation issued by President Joe Biden, which added over 13,000 acres of federal public land to the monument — almost the size of Manhattan — in part to protect sacred tribal land within what was formerly the Walker Ridge parcel. The proclamation also returned the Walker Ridge parcel to its original name, “Molok Luyuk,” meaning Condor Ridge.

The Molok Luyuk area has deep cultural significance to the Patwin people, who now make up three federally recognized Tribal Nations: Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, the Kletsel Dehe Band of Wintun Indians, and the Cachil Dehe Band of Wintun Indians.

Members of the Yocha Dehe Wintun and Kletsel Dehe tribes attended the May 31 expansion ceremony, signing a historic co-stewardship agreement with the Bureau of Land Management. U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla and Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Napa, also participated in the event.

“We’re setting a new standard of cooperative stewardship and embarking on a new era of public land management that gives tribes a seat at the table,” Padilla said. “With the historic signing of these co-stewardship agreements, local tribes will be able to more formally contribute their deep, personal knowledge of the history and ecology of the area to better protect and celebrate this land.”

Protecting the land for future generations

Bureau of Land Management Director Tracy Stone-Manning was present at the ceremony and signed the agreement.

“Molok Luyuk has been stewarded for thousands of years by the Wintun Nations,” Stone-Manning said. “This co-stewardship agreement will strengthen management of this portion of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument for generations to come, enhancing our ability to protect natural and cultural resources and to educate visitors to the monument.”

In October Padilla, Thompson and Rep. John Garamendi, D-Walnut Grove, wrote a letter to to President Biden and Interior Department Secretary Deb Haaland asking them to use their authority under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to expand the monument and support co-stewardship opportunities at Molok Luyuk. They sent a similar letter in October 2022 as well.

“We are profoundly grateful for this commitment to protect tribal cultural resources and the environment.” Anthony Roberts, Yocha Dehe Tribal Chairman

Padilla, Thompson and Garamendi introduced legislation in March 2023 to expand the monument to include adjacent Bureau of Land Management-administered public lands, called the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Expansion Act. The bill made it through the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee with unanimous support in the 117th and 118th Congresses but did not make it to the Senate floor.

“We are profoundly grateful for this commitment to protect tribal cultural resources and the environment,” Yocha Dehe Tribal Chairman Anthony Roberts said. “All the support we received to expand the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument and include Molok Luyuk, especially from U.S. Senator Padilla, Congressman Thompson, Congressman Garamendi, and environmental organizations — their care and commitment to tribal lands has ensured a better world for generations to come.”

More information about Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument can be found on the Bureau of Land Management website.