THOMPSON: ALL COUNTIES WITHIN BERRYESSA SNOW MOUNTAIN REGION ENDORSE PERMANENT PROTECTION

WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5) today announced that all five counties within the Berryessa Snow Mountain Region have endorsed permanent protection for the area. Today, Mendocino unanimously voted to endorse permanent protection for the Berryessa Snow Mountain Region. Napa, Lake, Yolo and Solano Counties have all previously voted in support of permanent protection for the region.

“There is overwhelming public support for protection of this national treasure,” said Thompson. “If Congress won’t pass my legislation to permanently protect the Berryessa Snow Mountain Region then President Obama should step up where Congress hasn’t and permanently protect the region as a national monument.”

In May 2013, Thompson introduced H.R. 1025, the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Conservation Area Act. U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduced S.483 the companion bill in the Senate. The legislation would designate the 350,000 acre Berryessa Snow Mountain region as a National Conservation Area (NCA). Under this designation the region would be permanently protected, ensuring continued recreational opportunities while safeguarding the region's natural beauty, wildlife, rare plants, and waters - which include important sources of drinking water and irrigation for nearby communities.

Additionally, President Obama can use his executive authority to designate the region as a national monument. Such action would achieve the goals of Thompson’s legislation. Napa, Lake, Yolo, Solano and Mendocino Counties all support a national monument.

The Berryessa Snow Mountain region stretches more than 100 miles from the lowlands of Putah Creek below Lake Berryessa, across remote stretches of Cache Creek, and up to the peak of Snow Mountain. It encompasses more than 350,000 acres across Napa, Mendocino, Lake, Solano and Yolo Counties. The area is rich in biodiversity, including bald and golden eagles, black bears, mountain lions, tule elk, and rare plants found nowhere else on Earth.

The Berryessa Snow Mountain region also includes numerous trails, open spaces, lakes and rivers. These resources provide recreation opportunities for hikers, bikers, hunters, campers, off-highway vehicle users, and both motorized and non-motorized boaters.

A national monument designation would also provide a boost to our local economies. Protected public lands are major contributors to our country’s $646 billion outdoor recreation economy. In California alone, more than half of all residents participate in outdoor recreation each year, supporting more than 700,000 jobs and generating more than $6 billion for our state’s economy.

In addition to the five counties that support a national monument designation, more than 100 businesses in areas surrounding the Berryessa Snow Mountain Region also support a national monument designation.

Thompson’s legislation has been referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources. Despite hearings in both the House and Senate, it has not received a vote.

Congressman Mike Thompson is proud to represent California’s 5th Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma Counties.  He is a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Rep. Thompson is also a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition and chairs the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Wine Caucus.

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