WASHINGTON, Jan. 7, 2025 — Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack praised President Biden’s designation of a new national monument Sáttítla Highlands National Monument in Northern California. The designation protects Tribal ancestral homelands, historic and scientific treasures, rare flora and fauna, and underground aquifers at the headwaters of vital sources of water for communities in California.
“This landscape, which has been occupied by Indigenous peoples for more than 5,000 years, continues to be integral to Tribal religious and cultural practices despite a history of forced dispossession. Establishing this monument takes a step toward recognizing the history of exclusion of Tribal Nations on these lands,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “The designation also recognizes the unusual geology of one of the largest volcanos in the Cascade Range, and the rare plants and animals that call this dynamic landscape home. The monument also protects the region’s recreational opportunities, dramatic scenic views, and world class dark night skies.”
"Last month, I had heard from hundreds of people about the significance of the Sáttítla Highlands in their personal lives and for their communities, the regional watershed, and our planet," said Deputy Agriculture Secretary Xochitl Torres Small. "Today's designation of the Sáttítla Highlands National Monument recognizes the importance of the area's cultural resources for Indigenous peoples, who have been there since time immemorial, and provides opportunities for collaborative conservation to manage and protect this special place."
The lands within the national monument are the ancestral homelands of the Pit River and Modoc and are sacred to those peoples. For them and many other Tribal Nations and Indigenous peoples – including the Klamath, Shasta, Wintu, Yana, Siletz, and Karuk – the landscape holds exceptional power and is central to their spiritual beliefs and cultural practices.
This monument designation encompasses nearly 225,000 acres of federally managed public lands on the Modoc, Shasta-Trinity and Klamath National Forests. The area’s rich geologic wonders can give visitors a view into ancient forces that are typically far underground. Sáttítla's exceptionally varied habitats also support high levels of biodiversity, including at least 16 plants considered threatened, endangered, or rare including the federally threatened whitebark pine and a diverse community of rare or threatened fungi. The monument also contains underground aquifers that provide high quality water to millions of Americans.
President Biden designated this national monument using his authority under the Antiquities Act. President Theodore Roosevelt first used the Antiquities Act in 1906 to designate Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming. Since then, 18 presidents of both parties have used this authority to protect unique natural and historic features in America, including the Statue of Liberty, Colorado’s Canyon of the Ancients, and New Mexico’s Gila Cliff Dwellings.
In order to advance protection of the Sáttítla Highlands National Monument, state agencies will allocate additional funding for wildfire prevention and resilience work to make local communities, state and private lands, and road systems in the area safer and more resilient to wildfire threats.
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