Hi everyone, 

The Center for Western Priorities is excited to share a new Postcard by Sterling Homard, our outreach and campaigns associate, about California’s spectacular landscape of Molok Luyuk (pronounced Ma-lok Lou-yoke), and the locally-led effort to incorporate the area into Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. 

Please read the Molok Luyuk blog and amplify it on your social media channels. Here are links to the Center for Western Priorities’ Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram posts to re-share.

Commonly known as “Walker Ridge,” Molok Luyuk means “condor ridge” in the Patwin language, paying homage to the now-endangered California condors that once flew there. The area has special significance to nearby communities, including the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation (pronounced YO-cha DEE-he WIN-ton). The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation has advocated for the expansion of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. Most recently, Tribal Chairman Anthony Roberts wrote an op-ed calling on President Biden to expand the national monument to include Molok Luyuk. In addition, members of the California congressional delegation have supported efforts to incorporate Molok Luyuk into the monument. U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Dianne Feinstein have reintroduced legislation in the Senate, the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Expansion Act, and Representatives John Garamendi and Mike Thompson have introduced the legislation in the House. Despite strong support, the bill has languished in Congress.

Read about Molok Luyuk’s unmatched ecological significance by hearing from geologist Bob Schneider, who explains the area’s rare serpentinite rock formation that is caused by millenia of plate tectonic movement, and from California Native Plant Society Executive Director Nick Jensen about the extraordinarily biodiverse plant species that support the area’s wildlife. Learn from Sandra Schubert, executive director at California-based conservation organization Tuleyome, as she offers insights into the threats that Molok Luyuk continues to face, including worsening wildfires and illegal off-road vehicle use along the area's ancient trade routes, as well as the incredible opportunity to preserve this landscape for future generations.

To learn more about the Postcards campaign and to read, listen, or watch other stories, please visit www.RoadTo30.org/postcards. Stay tuned for more Postcards this spring!