Situated near both the Bay Area and Sacramento, Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument spans 100 miles north to south. This national monument protects 330,780 acres of ecologically and geologically diverse public land that has 33 miles of trails, many of which are open to mountain bikers to enjoy.
When you’re standing among the rolling hills, wild poppies and lush green trees — it’s easy to forget that the noise and commotion of major cities is only a couple hours away.
As mountain bikers, we are used to long journeys, and the road to the designation of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument was a long one. The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) attended dozens of meetings and discussions with other non-profits, community leaders and elected officials.
Given this history of collaboration and consensus building to get the designation, we were shocked when President Trump issued an executive order to review 27 national monuments including our own Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument.
Recently, Interior Secretary Zinke’s report related to the national monument review leaked from the White House. Perhaps most disturbing for our community, is that Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument was not mentioned in this report. This leaves our national monument stuck in limbo and still squarely on the chopping block. However, the report’s proposal to strip protections for several national monuments in California, Oregon, Nevada and Utah — gives us an idea of what could become of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument.
It is important to note exactly what we would lose by eliminating protections for these public lands.
Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument offers significant opportunities for exceedingly rare long-distance mountain biking trails and critical connectivity to Mendocino National Forest. It has the potential to connect the Bay Area Ridge Trail, a 500-mile trail project intended to circumnavigate the Bay Area.
We envision that one day mountain bikers will be able to ride from the fog of San Francisco straight to the rolling hills of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument.
This national monument is also is an important resource for National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) teams in the area’s NorCal league, one of NICA’s largest leagues. NICA develops interscholastic mountain biking programs for student-athletes across the United States. We need areas like Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument that provide mountain biking trails that are close to populous areas to get, and keep, kids outdoors and on bikes.
Furthermore, the outdoor recreationists — including mountain bikers — that visit Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument every year play a pivotal role in the economy.
The outdoor recreation industry is a powerful force in the overall U.S. economy. According to the Outdoor Industry Association, consumers spend $887 billion annually on outdoor recreation. In California alone, outdoor recreation generates $92 billion in consumer spending, $30.4 billion in wages and salaries, and creates 691,000 jobs.
We should be protecting this important economic engine, rather than threatening it by threatening to eliminate protections for Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument.
Our community made our views clear when we fought for and won the national monument designation in 2015. We will work to protect Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument again.
I’m asking members of this community to tweet President Trump (@POTUS) and Secretary Zinke (@SecretaryZinke) to tell them that our community has spoken: we want to continue to protect Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument.
We must safeguard this special place not only for today’s bicyclists, recreationists, nature enthusiasts and others — but also for future generations.
Laurel Harkness, California/Hawaii Regions Director, International Mountain Bicycling Association
