NEWS RELEASE: Pit River Nation Responds to President Biden Executive Action Expanding California Monuments
Tribe calls on the President to follow through with commitment to protect more vitally important Indigenous homelands
CONTACT:
Brandy McDaniels, bmcdaniels@pitrivertribe.gov, (530) 335-5421; press “0”
BURNEY, Calif. (May 2, 2024) – President Biden expanded two California national monuments today, honoring the long-standing wishes of Tribal peoples who had requested better protections for sacred and cultural places on lands being managed by the federal government. The Pit River Tribe welcomed the news that President Biden is moving forward important conservation efforts and encourages the President to continue honoring Tribal requests by designating more monument lands, including Sáttítla which includes the area known as the Medicine Lake Highlands in northern California.
The Pit River Nation has made an official request of President Biden to protect our Native homelands as a national monument and to include our Tribe in the management and stewardship of Sáttítla.
The following statement is from Yatch Bamford, Chairman of the Pit River Nation:
“It is encouraging to hear today’s news and to know that President Biden is following through with the commitments his Administration made to Indigenous peoples early-on in his presidency. Molok Luyuk and the lands added to the San Gabriels hold cultural significance for Native peoples. It was critical that federal leaders protect these lands and provide an opportunity for better stewardship by those who have called these places home since time immemorial.”
“Now we call on President Biden to use the remaining months of his term to take much needed action to protect other cultural and sacred places, including Sáttítla. Our Tribe has fought relentless attacks on our homelands, including continuous efforts to develop energy projects that would permanently scar and cause degradation to these sacred lands and waters. The President has the power to help us put an end to the threats to our sacred places by designating Sáttítla as a national monument, just as he did today in other parts of California. We are hopeful this is just the beginning of a series of designations that honor Tribes and Indigenous peoples and our calls for action.”
###