Sáttítla
Medicine Lake Highlands
Culturally significant
Geologically unique
Life sustaining
Vulnerable and in need of protection
Nestled within the Shasta-Trinity, Klamath, and Modoc National Forests of northeastern California, Sáttítla, commonly known as the Medicine Lake Highlands, are a culturally significant, geologically unique, water rich, and life sustaining region in need of greater protections.
For thousands of years the forested lands and clear blue water have been sacred to numerous Tribes including the Pit River, Modoc, Shasta, Karuk, and Wintu. Sáttítla is a spiritual center for the Pit River and Modoc Tribes, who continue to use the area for religious activities, ceremonies, and gatherings.
Permanently protecting these sacred lands and waters will not only honor the Pit River Tribe’s long standing efforts, but also will ensure that future generations are able to practice time-honored traditions on unspoiled lands.
These same untrammeled lands and waters that have sustained Indigenous peoples for thousands of years are now integral to the health and viability of millions of people in California.
The Highlands could rightfully be called the headwaters of the state for its role in providing pure water to millions of residents, to wildlife, as well as serving agricultural needs downstream.
The volcanically formed aquifers below the surface capture snow melt and store as much water as California’s 200 largest surface reservoirs. These aquifers deliver clean, cold water to the Fall River Springs, which then flows from Shasta Lake all the way south to the imperiled San Francisco Bay.
Sáttítla should be protected as a national monument to honor our cultural history and Tribal connections and to safeguard the water for millions of people and wildlife.
