SF Chronicle: California lawmakers urge Biden to create new national monument near Mount Shasta
By Kurtis Alexander
A bid to create another national monument in Northern California, near towering Mount Shasta, got a significant boost on Friday with an endorsement from federal lawmakers.
U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler alongside Rep. Adam Schiff, all from California, are urging President Biden to use his executive powers to designate a volcanically distinct area known as the Medicine Lake Highlands as the Sáttítla National Monument.
Padilla and Butler also are planning to introduce legislation in Congress to create the monument, should the president not act before leaving office early next year. Monument status would ensure greater protection of the site and raise its profile in the pantheon of American public lands.
The 206,000-acre wilderness, about 350 miles north of San Francisco south of the Oregon border, is known for its sprawling volcano fields, which include striking lava formations, glass-like obsidian flows and the namesake Medicine Lake, a wonderfully clear body of water nestled in the caldera of the largest volcano in the Cascade Range. The lands are owned and managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Called Sáttítla by indigenous people, the area has long been a place of worship for Native Americans, many of whom ascribe supernatural powers to the place.
“Safeguarding these sacred resources is one of the driving forces behind our effort to permanently protect this important area,” the three lawmakers wrote in a letter to Biden, dated Friday.
The campaign to make the site a national monument was initiated by Northern California’s Pit River Tribe. The tribe’s effort has been slowly gathering support from local and state officials, including the Gov. Gavin Newsom administration, but had yet to win notable federal backing.
A blessing from federal officials generally reveals broader interest in the creation of a monument and is often requisite to the designation. The recent expansion of California’s Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument and San Gabriel Mountains National Monument followed calls by federal lawmakers, including Padilla and Butler, for monument status, as well as legislation.
Under the 1906 Antiquities Act, the president has the power to unilaterally designate a monument on federal lands to protect cultural and natural resources. Congress, too, can pursue the creation of a national monument, though the legislative path opens the door to opposition.
One of the primary reasons for the Pit River Tribe’s campaign for a monument is to make sure there is no geothermal development on the highlands. In the past, the tribe has litigated to stop the federal government from extending leases on the land for energy exploration. The possibility remains, though small, for renewing those leases.
“Currently, it’s under threat,” said Brandy McDaniels, a member of the Pit River Tribe who has been leading efforts for the monument. “A lot of prayers have gone into this so we’re really hopeful.”
Restrictions on industrial activity are likely with monument designation.
The letter sent to Biden from the legislators also cites the need to protect extensive aquifers beneath the site as well as fish and wildlife in the area. Additionally, a new monument would benefit the president’s goal of conserving 30% of U.S. lands and coastal waters by 2030, the lawmakers say.
The White House has not commented publicly about the fate of the Medicine Lake Highlands. But the endorsement from Padilla, Butler and Schiff is fueling optimism for those awaiting action.
“Sáttítla is not just a piece of land; it’s the heart of our heritage and the source of life for current and future generations,” said Yatch Bamford, chairman of the Pit River Nation, in a prepared statement. “Senator Padilla’s leadership in protecting these sacred lands shows a deep respect for our history and a commitment to preserving it for our children and grandchildren.”
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