Sen. Dodd Comments on President’s Berryessa Snow Mountain Expansion

SACRAMENTO – Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, issued the following statement today on President Joe Biden’s expansion of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument – an action Sen. Dodd encouraged with his own resolution before the state Legislature:

“Berryessa Snow Mountain is one of the most scenic and diverse landscapes in all of Northern California, and the president’s expansion of the monument greatly enhances this public treasure,” Sen. Dodd said. “It was essential to include this additional piece, which was home to native tribes for thousands of years. By doing so, we recognize the land’s cultural significance while protecting it for generations to come.”

The president’s action expands Berryessa Snow Mountain Monument by 3,900 acres. It also renames the area commonly known as Walker Ridge to Molok Luyuk, which means Condor Ridge in the Patwin language, reflecting the area’s cultural significance to many federally recognized tribes in the region. By doing so, it provides opportunities for partnerships between the tribes, BLM and the U.S. Forest Service. The measure was supported by U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla and Congressmen John Garamendi and Mike Thompson. 

On the state level, Sen. Dodd this year introduced Senate Joint Resolution 10, which supported federal approval of the monument’s expansion. It was approved in a bipartisan vote of the Senate last month.

Sen. Dodd was involved in the initial designation of the monument. In 2015, Sen. Dodd authored Assembly Joint Resolution 4, the first time a state Legislature passed a measure asking the president to create a national monument. Following the extensive campaign by state, local, tribal and federal representatives, President Barack Obama on July 10, 2015 designated 330,780 acres in the California Coastal Range in Colusa, Glenn, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Solano and Yolo counties as Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. The rugged land boasts abundant wildlife, plants and other natural resources, and is a haven for outdoor recreation.

Sen. Dodd visited the Oval Office and was on hand during the signing of the initial designation by President Obama.

Link to president’s fact sheet: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/05/02/fact-sheet-president-biden-expands-san-gabriel-mountains-national-monument-and-berryessa-snow-mountain-national-monument/

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noma, Solano, Sacramento and Contra Costa counties. More information on Senator Bill Dodd can be found at www.senate.ca.gov/dodd.