FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 30, 2024
Contacts:
Sam Davidson, Trout Unlimited, (831) 235-2542, sam.davidson@tu.org
Joel Weltzien, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers (406) 925-3771, weltzien@backcountryhunters.org
Trout Unlimited and Backcountry Hunters and Anglers support permanent protection
for unique aquifer, upland habitats, and sporting opportunities of the Medicine Lake Highlands
SACRAMENTO—Trout Unlimited (TU) and Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) praised today’s announcement from Sens. Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Laphonza Butler (D-CA) and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA-30) of their intention to introduce the Sáttítla National Monument Establishment Act of 2024, once the Senate has resumed business after the August recess. TU and BH also lauded the letter shared today from Sens. Padilla and Butler and Rep. Schiff calling upon President Biden to designate the Sáttítla National Monument using his powers under the Antiquities Act.
Designation as a national monument would better protect the extraordinary water and habitat values – as well as the fishing and hunting opportunities they provide — of the Medicine Lake Highlands (Sáttítla to the Pit River Tribe) on national forest lands northeast of Mt. Shasta.
TU and BHA have been working closely with the Pit River Tribe to permanently protect the cultural, water, and habitat values of the Medicine Lake Highlands, the largest remnant shield volcano in North America and the homeland of the Tribe. The Tribe has fought for decades to protect the sacred waters of this region from energy exploration and other resource development.
Creighton Smith, president of TU’s Shasta Trinity Cascades Chapter, said, “There is no sporting opportunity without good habitat. We have to act now to better protect what remains. Even in drought, the Sáttítla region delivers impressive volumes of cold, clean water to surface streams. That’s a major reason this area boasts some of the country’s most famous trout streams. We thank Senator Padilla and the Pit River Tribe for their leadership in permanently protecting the remarkable lands and waters of Sáttítla as a national monument.”
Joel Weltzien, California Chapter Coordinator for BHA, said, “Even among California’s remarkable diversity of landscapes and ecosystems, Sáttítla stands out for its exceptionally high fish and wildlife values. The Fall River and its world-renowned trout fishery is dependent on spring-fed flows from this region. Sáttítla also provides vital habitat for game species including mule deer, Rocky Mountain elk, pronghorn antelope, black bear, quail, doves, and grouse. Altogether, some 300 wildlife species call this area home. National monument designations protect some of the finest sporting opportunities in America. We salute Senator Padilla and the Pit River Tribe for their commitment to ensuring that the incredible habitats and sporting opportunities of Sáttítla get the mantle of protection they deserve.”
BACKGROUND
The Medicine Lake Highlands is an enormous and largely pristine hydrological recharge and storage resource, with major implications for California’s water supply. It captures and stores as much water as California’s 200 largest reservoirs, and discharges over 1.2 million acre-feet of snowmelt annually. But the Medicine Lake Highlands have long been a target for development, especially for geothermal power production.
The 23-mile-long Fall River is the largest spring creek in California and harbors two distinct subpopulations of large rainbow trout. All but one of the complexes of springs, streams and lakes that feed into the Fall River get their water from the underground storage provided by the Sáttítla region. This river has been designated a Wild and Heritage Trout Water by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
For thousands of years Sáttítla has been vital for the culture and traditional practices of the Pit River and Modoc tribes, as well as other Indigenous peoples. Thanks to years of advocacy from Tribes, a 113-square-mile area of the Medicine Lake Highlands has been listed under the National Register of Historic Places as a Traditional Cultural District.
In November 2023, the Pit River Tribe launched a campaign to create the Sáttítla National Monument, and petitioned President Biden to establish this monument using his Antiquities Act powers. TU and BHA also petitioned the president to take this action.
Go here to learn more about the importance of the Sáttítla region for fish and wildlife and for fishing and hunting.
# # #