Letter to the Editor: Berryessa Snow Mountain

Dear Editor,
The question of whether or not to expand the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument to include the portion of Walker Ridge located in Colusa County, and to rename it to the Patwin name of Molok Luyuk, has been thoughtfully debated in these pages over the last month.
Unlike other readers who have written to the editors to weigh in on this issue, I don’t hail from the land in question and have no family roots here. While some might argue this fact disqualifies a person like me from taking a position on matters of the history and legacy of Colusa County, the experience of discovering Colusa County for myself in the hills above Williams and Maxwell has helped me to build a deeper and more fulfilling connection to this place than I ever could have anticipated. I credit the national monument for protecting and preserving the land I’ve come to love. I want others to share this experience and believe Colusa County stands to benefit a great deal from embracing public lands.
A letter in the June 29 edition respectfully argued that the popularity of off-road recreation on BLM land near Bear Valley and Leesville burdens the roads and leaves behind an unfortunate amount of litter. I’ve seen the deeply rutted roads and trash myself, and agree that it’s unfair and unpleasant to local residents.
One consequence of expanding the national monument to include current BLM land is increased agency resources to undertake travel management planning. Doing so would allow land managers to designate legal roads and trails for off-highway vehicles and reduce the amount of illegal off-highway use currently impacting the area. It would also create an opportunity to educate visitors about leave no trace ethics, with the goal of reducing damage to the land and the fragile ecosystems we all enjoy.
The residents of Colusa County are uniquely invested in the history and usage of their land. I’ve never encountered a community more knowledgeable about its past, and more passionate about its future, than I have here. It’s my opinion that the expansion of the national monument represents far more than a federal land grab. Rather, it’s an attempt to balance the many uses and legacies of this land, to honor its history, and to preserve it in perpetuity for the public. I believe we can all see the benefit this offers to the county.
Sincerely,
Daniel LoPilato
Colusa, CA