The recently designated Sáttítla Highlands National Monument covers over 224,000 acres within Northern California’s Modoc, Shasta-Trinity and Klamath National Forests.
The unique volcanic landscape, also called Medicine Lake Highlands, is home to the Pit River Tribe and Modoc Peoples. It includes a large aquifer that feeds the Fall River and Lake Shasta, used by millions for drinking water.
Brandy McDaniels, a Pit River member and tribal lead for the national monument designation, has fought for years to protect the region.
“I'm over the moon. It's a long time coming,” said McDaniels. “There's been so many elders that led the way for us. So we're really standing on the shoulders… of our warriors that taught us about the importance of protecting these places and how to use them correctly.”
Her tribe has a history of litigation against companies trying to bring geothermal projects to the area.
“As a socio-economically suppressed tribe and people, we're constantly targeted for bad projects and a lot of times foreign-interest companies coming in that don't care about us,” said McDaniels.
Travis Joseph, president of the timber trade group American Forest Resource Council, said he was disappointed the designation didn't happen through legislation, which could include more compromise on land management between competing interest groups. He worries the land won’t be properly managed for wildfire prevention like fuels reduction.
“When you create a national monument, I think the expectation generally for the public is that it won't be managed, or there will be less management on the landscape,” said Joseph. “And that certainly is a concern, given that wildfire is such a serious threat.”
McDaniels, with Pit River, said her tribe wants the monument’s forests managed for wildfire prevention. She noted fire has impacted her community.
“The insurance money wasn't there so people could rebuild. People had to be displaced. Our school shut down — is still shut down — and so we're still recovering from that,” said McDaniels.
On Tuesday, Biden also designated the Chuckwalla National Monument in Southern California’s Coachella Valley.
He has now conserved more area than any president in history, according to the White House. Although the future of that conservation is uncertain. President-elect Donald Trump cut the size of two national monuments in Utah when he last took office. in 2016
