NEWS RELEASE: Pit River Nation Responds to California Senator Padilla Advancing Sáttítla National Monument Establishment Act in Recognition of the Growing Support For Protection Effort

BURNEY, Calif. (Aug 30, 2024) – The Pit River Tribal Council applauded the news from Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) today, announcing the Sáttítla National Monument Establishment Act in an official letter to President Biden and his Administration. The letter, co-signed by Laphonza Butler and CA Rep. Adam Schiff calls for the President’s use of the Antiquities Act to designate Sáttítla National Monument and the creation of a co-stewardship agreement to best integrate our Tribe’s Traditional Knowledge of this area. 

The proposal we initiated has garnered significant support from other tribal governments and organizations, elected officials, businesses, scientists, non-profit organizations, veterans, and local sportsmen and women. The Sáttítla National Monument Establishment Act will protect over 200,000 acres of culturally significant, ecologically rich, and geologically unique land within the Shasta-Trinity, Klamath, and Modoc National Forests in northeastern California.

The letter to the Biden Administration requests swift action, identifies the area for protection in the Sáttítla National Monument Establishment Act, and outlines how the federal agencies would work with the Pit River Tribe to steward these lands into the future. The national monument designation would ensure long-term protection for Sáttítla, ending threats from industrial development that pose severe risks to cultural and historical sites, recreational opportunities, the purity of water, and sensitive rare plants and wildlife. 

Sáttítla has been an ancestral homeland for the Pit River people and other Tribal Nations, including the Modoc, Shasta, Karuk, and Wintu. This sacred land remains integral to the cultural identity and spiritual practices of our peoples today. The aquifers beneath Sáttítla feed into Fall River, California’s largest spring system, providing essential water resources for agriculture and millions of people in metropolitan areas downstream.

The following statement is from Yatch Bamford, Chairman of the Pit River Nation:

"Sáttítla is not just a piece of land; it’s the heart of our heritage and the source of life for current and future generations. Senator Padilla's leadership in protecting these sacred lands shows a deep respect for our history and a commitment to preserving it for our children and grandchildren. This is about honoring a promise to the Earth and to the people who have cherished it for centuries.

This protection effort is also about ensuring the stability of our local economy and environment, which so many of us who live in this region rely on. These lands are the places we take our families to explore, recreate, heal, learn and seek solace and quiet in this busy world. Through monument protections like those the Sáttítla National Monument Establishment Act seeks to provide, we can fend off dangerous power lines and industrial scale energy development to better manage the forests to defend against the threat of fire, misuse, and climate change.

Time is running out for the Biden Administration to act. While we know that protections like these can transcend presidential administrations, we no longer want to wait and get lost in the shuffle once more. Our Tribe, and so many others, have been asking for these kinds of protections for decades and the time to act is now! Thank you Senator Padilla, for hearing our call to action."

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Read Senator Padilla’s full release here.

Map of the proposal area

Quote sheet of additional supporters
B-roll and images for public use