LAKE COUNTY — Congressmen Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) and John Garamendi (D-Fairfield) teamed with Representative Lynn Woolsey (D-Petaluma) Tuesday to introduce H.R. 5545, the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Conservation Area Act.
The legislation would designate the Berryessa Snow Mountain region as a National Conservation Area (NCA). The designation would unite all currently owned federal lands within the NCA boundary under one management plan, allowing the region to be managed according to site-specific needs.
An NCA designation would also permanently protect the region, ensuring continued recreational opportunities while safeguarding the region”s natural beauty, wildlife, rare plants and waters – which include important sources of drinking water and irrigation for nearby communities.
The Berryessa Snow Mountain region stretches more than 100 miles from the lowlands of Putah Creek below Lake Berryessa, across remote stretches of Cache Creek and up to the peak of Snow Mountain. It encompasses more than 319,000 acres across Napa, Lake, Yolo and Mendocino counties. The area is rich in biodiversity, including bald and golden eagles, black bears, mountain lions, tule elk and rare plants found nowhere else on Earth.
“The Berryessa Snow Mountain region is a unique national treasure and we have a responsibility to preserve it for our kids and grandkids,” Thompson said. “Designating the region as a National Conservation Area will preserve the land, help our local economies and protect a wide variety of plants and animals. This is the right way forward for the region and our communities.”
“Permanently protecting the Berryessa Snow Mountain region makes good business sense,” Lake County Supervisor Denise Rushing said. “Gateway communities – including many here in Lake County – will benefit from the increased tourism and job creation that a National Conservation Area will bring.”
Lake County, Napa County, the Winters City Council, the Davis City Council, the Clearlake City Council and the Calistoga City Council all passed unanimous resolutions of support in favor of designating the Berryessa Snow Mountain region as an NCA.
Also in support of the designation are:
– 52 elected officials including former Congressman Pete McCloskey, co-author of the Endangered Species Act.
– 148 businesses representing all four involved counties.
– 29 landowners and farmers.
– 28 conservation and recreation groups including the Blue Ribbon Coalition, California Waterfowl Association and the Yolo Audubon Society.
“Designating the Berryessa Snow Mountain region as a National Conservation Area allows for the coordination of federal land management for the benefit of the public,” Garamendi said. “This legislation will help preserve the region”s natural beauty, increase tourism and outdoor recreation, spur business growth and create jobs in Northern California.”
Establishment of an NCA would improve coordination between federal agencies; protect essential migratory corridors for wildlife adapting their ranges to a changing climate; keep water clean; and provide additional federal funding opportunities for conservation protection, invasive plant eradication, recreation management and a coordinated multi-agency fire management plan.
“We”re pleased that Congressman Thompson has recognized the natural wonders and recreational opportunities offered by the Berryessa Snow Mountain region – and the strong desire by community members to protect this scenic treasure so that it can be enjoyed by future generations,” Sara Husby, executive director of Tuleyome, said. “His National Conservation Area proposal is a win-win for everyone.”
The white water rapids of Cache Creek, Lake Berryessa”s bass fishery and hiking and horseback riding opportunities make the Berryessa Snow Mountain region a major outdoor recreation destination. Permanent protection for the region would improve management of recreational trails and campsites. It would also increase user education and help draw visitors to the area.
Recent studies by Headwaters Economics, a non-partisan, independent, nonprofit research group, found that outdoor recreation and protected lands help the local economy. Jobs and real personal income rose in local communities after nearby areas were permanently protected.
The NCA designation only applies to lands managed by the federal government. Current access to and uses of private land would not change.
No legally-opened roads or motorized vehicle trails would close as a result of the NCA designation. Federal agencies will retain existing authority to open new roads and trails or to temporarily close them when necessary, such as during major storms or emergencies.
Hunting and fishing would still be allowed in the NCA and the California Department of Fish and Game would retain its authority over these forms of recreation. The NCA designation would not impose any new regulations on hunting, fishing or firearm use.
Existing laws and policies regarding firefighting would not be changed by the establishment of the NCA. Federal agencies can continue to reduce fuels before fires start by thinning trees, establishing fuel breaks and by using controlled burns and other appropriate tools.
The legislation was referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
