California & Tribal Officials Sign Expansion Agreement For Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument

5 months ago

California federal, state, local, and tribal officials signed an expansion of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, and a new stewardship agreement for the land.

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Transcript

00:00 Good morning.

00:03 Wow.

00:05 Welcome.

00:08 Very exciting day for us.

00:11 I know it's a little hot.

00:13 Sun's beating down on us, but I think it's worth it as we sit here and go through this process today.

00:20 Just tremendously grateful for all the support from everybody who's had a hand in getting us where we are today.

00:26 Former leaders, present leaders, citizens, allies, friends, and then we'll get to all those particulars in a minute.

00:36 But at this moment I'd like to introduce our tribal secretary, Leland Kinter, to give a blessing.

00:43 Tribal treasurer, apologies.

00:48 Thank you, Chairman.

00:50 I just wanted to open by saying a few words in Putwyn.

00:52 We're on Putwyn land, so it's appropriate to say a few words and a partial prayer, but just mostly a thank you.

00:59 So just bear with me for a moment.

01:02 [speaking in Putwyn]

01:12 So we want to welcome all of the people here to Yotuhtihi that travel from all the different places that we've invited to join us today.

01:19 [speaking in Putwyn]

01:25 So we have a lot of work to do involving Molokloyoc very soon.

01:29 [speaking in Putwyn]

01:37 So everybody that helped us, all the people from Yotuhtihi, thank you so much.

01:41 [speaking in Putwyn]

01:42 Bless you.

01:44 [speaking in Putwyn]

01:49 Thank you, Treasurer.

01:50 Beautiful bidding.

01:52 As some of you may know, we were able to have an event yesterday where we took this very land that you're sitting on

02:01 and some of you are standing on today into trust.

02:04 So a very meaningful few days for Yotuhtihi, and we've been blessed.

02:10 I want to thank Treasurer again for those beautiful words, and again, thank you all for joining us.

02:15 I think there's so much to celebrate today.

02:17 I think we celebrate the history of our Putwyn people, our ancestral lands, their ancestral lands,

02:24 and today as we're here to celebrate the expansion of the Berriesa Snow Mountain Monument, Molokloyoc,

02:34 we're just excited about what this means for our future generations.

02:40 This land has deep meaning for our people, and it has for centuries.

02:44 For countless generations, we've been stewards of this land.

02:48 We've been taught by our ancestors and our elders to make sure that we take care of the land,

02:53 and for years and generations, the land will take care of us.

02:57 And as we see that coming to fruition today, it's beyond words.

03:02 We're just extremely grateful.

03:05 As you can see, there are maps placed around today.

03:09 I think some of them have been passed out as you walked up,

03:12 and so some of you may know that Molokloyoc is located near the border of our Putwyn homelands,

03:20 as you can see from the map, which stretch from Glynn County to the north of Vallejo

03:25 and the San Pablo Bay to the south, and then from Napa west to the Sacramento River.

03:32 So, again, just excited that we're here to celebrate this process today.

03:39 This effort is not something that's taken place overnight.

03:43 We worked extremely hard to get here, and we're honored to be at this place,

03:49 but as Treasurer said, there's a tremendous amount of work to do.

03:52 Looking forward to signing here today so we can get underway and start that process.

03:59 And so, again, we can ensure that for future generations of Putwyn people and people here in California,

04:06 whether you're a recreational activist, hiker, biker, bird watcher,

04:11 folks will be able to enjoy those lands for many, many years.

04:15 I would like to express my gratitude to those who have worked tirelessly to bring us to this moment.

04:22 I think the Council would, as well as the tribe, would support and say right along with me that

04:31 without Senator Padilla, Congressman Thompson, and Gary Mindy, who introduced the bills to expand the monument,

04:40 we don't know that we'd be here today, kept the spotlight on the efforts through the administrations,

04:45 Obama's, and then here we are with President Biden.

04:49 Our coalition partners who have worked for many years on this, but especially throughout this year,

04:56 Tulome, the California Native Plant Society, Cow Wild, Conservation Lands Foundation, Sierra Club,

05:04 Western Conservation, Hispanic Access Foundation, the Great Old Broads, and so many others.

05:15 Countless volunteers who gather signatures, attended county supervisor meetings,

05:21 and also attended countless Zoom meetings.

05:26 The men and women of the BLM California, especially the Utiah Field Office, who have always heard us out

05:32 and been willing to work with us hand in hand throughout this process.

05:36 And finally, President Joseph R. Biden and the officials of the Bureau of Land Management.

05:43 We're talking about Director Stone Manning and Principal Deputy Director Culver.

05:48 Your courage and commitment to respecting the Indigenous peoples of this country and their homelands

05:53 made this day possible, and I think it will always be remembered.

05:57 So thank you so very much.

06:01 In the coming years and months, we'll be working to create a management plan, a co-management plan.

06:08 And I know that many of you are looking forward to that, as are we, as we work together to protect our

06:13 cultural resources, to restore habitat, make space for traditional tribal uses, which I think is key.

06:21 And as we move towards more sustainable fire management, living in a fire region,

06:28 of course, our efforts to welcome back the condor to that habitat, "muluk loyok," meaning condor ridge.

06:37 So, again, a huge thanks to the partners.

06:41 I want to thank our sister tribes, the Putwin tribes, the Kletso, Deehi, and Kachil Deehi, for their support.

06:50 The Solicitor's Office, Amy Dutchkey, of course, for managing the negotiation process

06:58 and bringing it to a successful resolution where we are today.

07:03 None of this would have been possible without all of the collaboration and work.

07:06 So appreciate all of you.

07:09 And in just a moment, we'll hear from Congressman Thompson, Secretary Crowfoot, and Director Stone-Manning.

07:14 But first, I'd like to introduce United States Senator Alex Padilla, a leader in California public lands and the environment,

07:21 a champion for "muluk loyok," and as always, a great ally and friend to the OTD.

07:27 So thank you all, and Senator Padilla.

07:41 Good morning, everybody.

07:44 One more time, good morning, everybody.

07:46 Somebody told me we were celebrating today.

07:50 Celebrating we are.

07:51 There is truly a lot to celebrate, as the Chairman said.

07:55 It is my honor to have been invited to be with you today.

07:59 Thank you to Chairman Roberts and the entire leadership of Yotse Dehe Wintun Nation.

08:06 We welcome Chairman Wright and thank the leadership of Quetzal Dehe Wintun Nation.

08:12 Representative Thompson, of course, my partner in Congress, not with us today physically, but with us in spirit, absolutely,

08:21 is also Representative Garamendi, who has been a champion for this effort for many, many years.

08:27 It is a big deal to have Tracy Stone-Manning from the Bureau of Land Management here with us.

08:35 More to do after this today, but we appreciate you being here for today's ceremony.

08:41 Secretary Wayne Crowfoot, on behalf of Governor Newsom of the State of California, you'll hear from him,

08:47 and so many state officials, local officials, and community leaders who have helped make today possible.

08:57 Now, some of what I'm going to share is for those of you sitting here today,

09:03 but also for the folks that are streaming in or going to get a chance to experience this ceremony by way of media coverage.

09:12 So I just would like to point out that we're gathered just south of the Berriosa Snow Mountain National Monument,

09:20 which we're proud to announce now includes over 13,000 acres of the sacred land referred to as Molokluyoc.

09:33 You know it better than I that for thousands of years, condors flew over the ridges and rivers behind us.

09:42 The mountains were home to rich biodiversity of both plants and wildlife,

09:50 and the Putnam people have kept watch over the land that they called home.

09:57 And yes, we led efforts legislatively in Congress. I'll acknowledge that in a minute, the many partners that have been part of that.

10:06 But politics in the Congress being what it is right now, we knew that we also had the option to appeal to the spirit,

10:15 to the heart, and to the wisdom of the Biden-Harris administration to utilize their authorities under the Antiquities Act

10:26 to make these designations and protection happen.

10:31 And because of that signature by President Biden in the Oval Office a couple weeks ago, I was there to witness,

10:38 we know that the advocacy of so many of you in the audience today has been successful,

10:46 and that once again, the Putnam people will be custodians of these lands.

10:54 Now I mentioned this is a product of executive action, but it was in part a response to our legislative efforts.

11:01 And in those efforts, as I mentioned to the tribal leaders before we began the ceremony,

11:07 I'm just honored to have done my small part. And as many people have been at this, not just for years, but for decades.

11:13 But part of the congressional effort included Representatives Thompson, Garamendi, and the late Senator Dianne Feinstein,

11:24 who was also committed and supportive of expanding the National Monument to include Molok Lui.

11:31 And together with the administration, we made it happen.

11:36 We've been at it for years, but for decades it's been tribal leaders and allies who have called on the federal government

11:42 to protect this land. And so I want to take a moment to thank you,

11:47 because we would not be here without your relentless and tireless advocacy.

11:53 Can we just give you all a round of applause?

12:00 In addition to protecting these sacred lands, this is also a key element of meeting our state's goals

12:11 of protecting 30% of lands in the state of California.

12:16 So when we protect the rich biodiversity and establish wildlife corridors,

12:23 we're helping protect the natural beauty that makes California so unique.

12:30 And to think that we're doing so while protecting tribal origin stories,

12:35 safeguarding lands that were taken from tribal nations, and preserving cultural and sacred histories for future generations.

12:45 Again, truly so much to celebrate.

12:49 And along with that, not just symbolic, but from the spirit of justice,

12:57 renaming the ridge to Mulloch-Luyuk, or Condor Ridge in the Puttland language.

13:05 This is truly a historic moment for the Puttland people and for the entire state of California.

13:13 In addition to all that, now we have a lot to celebrate.

13:18 What we're about to witness is yet another historic milestone for the nation.

13:25 We're about to embark on a new era of public land management.

13:31 And if it was up to me, we'd be setting a new standard of cooperative stewardship

13:36 between the United States federal government and tribal governments.

13:42 These co-stewardship agreements that we're going to be signing momentarily,

13:46 I see the beautiful setup already, will give tribal leaders a long overdue

13:54 formal role and responsibility to offer their deep personal knowledge of the history and ecology of the area

14:07 so that we protect these lands and celebrate these lands with our children and future generations.

14:15 So as you can see, there's some exciting days to come.

14:19 Whether it's watching tribes and the Bureau of Land Management officially sign these stewardship agreements

14:24 and how they develop over the years, to one day, maybe us gathering in here in the future,

14:32 to watch the condors finally fly again over the ridge.

14:39 Thank you all so much for being here today.

14:44 Back to Mr. Chairman.

14:55 Thank you, Senator Padilla.

14:57 Beautiful words, and as you said, it's hard to put into words what this day means to us.

15:05 So it is now my honor to introduce Congressman Mike Thompson.

15:22 Mr. Chairman, thank you very much for the introduction,

15:25 and thank you to you and the entire Yotse Ditshe Council and the entire tribe.

15:34 Thank you very, very much.

15:35 And to all of our tribal community, this is not just a one-tribe deal.

15:41 This is the entire tribal community has come together to make not only today happen,

15:47 but the entire Berryessa Snow Mountain.

15:52 I want to thank Senator Padilla for his great partnership in the Senate,

15:56 and my colleague in the House, John Garamendi.

15:59 This was a joint effort, and Senator Padilla also pointed out that Senator Feinstein was looking down.

16:06 She had some influence on this because she too has been a leader in this expansion for quite some time.

16:16 I couldn't help but think about a couple of things driving over today.

16:21 I came from my home in St. Helena, and I drove up through Lake County and then drove down,

16:27 figuring that was the quickest way.

16:30 But more important than speed, it was a beautiful way.

16:35 It was absolutely gorgeous, and I thought a lot about the initial effort to protect this land forever.

16:45 And there are a lot of people here today who participated in that.

16:49 I remember when I first got involved almost 30 years ago now,

16:55 we started by having a town hall meeting in Lake County.

17:00 We had representatives from every state and federal agency.

17:07 We had NGOs representing everyone.

17:11 Tuleomi was there in force, and they were actually the driving force at that particular time.

17:17 We made our presentation, and then we took questions.

17:23 The first 105 questions were all, "Will we still be able to go hunting there?"

17:30 And I think there was a "Will we still be able to go fishing?" question thrown in once in a while.

17:36 But what an incredible coming together of the community, the tribal community, the business community,

17:43 the government sector, the NGO sector.

17:47 Everybody came together knowing this was the right thing to do, and it was an important thing to do.

17:52 And all you have to do is look at the landscapes or think about the wildflowers or the wildlife that is there.

18:00 It all becomes very, very obvious.

18:03 And also coming over today, I was reminded of something that was important to me when I first got involved,

18:10 and that was access.

18:12 I've been involved in protecting public lands throughout the different districts that I've represented for a long time,

18:20 some of which regular people will never see because you just can't get there from here.

18:26 But this is an area that has access available to individuals.

18:32 People can actually come.

18:34 They can experience the beauty of this area, and we can win them over as supporters for future projects of this nature.

18:47 So it was a long, long journey to get here.

18:50 I'm glad we're here.

18:52 You're responsible for it.

18:54 You're the driving force.

18:56 And I want to just close with a warning.

18:59 It was the same deal when we did Bariessa Snow Mountain.

19:05 It was my legislation.

19:06 I had it for decades, and we couldn't get it out of the legislature, couldn't get it out of Congress,

19:14 because of the way the majorities were drawn.

19:18 But we knew we had the Obama administration supportive, and we did the same thing.

19:24 We called on the Obama administration to exercise the Antiquities Act to protect this land.

19:31 It was signed into law, and then, tragically, things shifted in the administration in Washington, D.C.

19:41 And one of the first orders of business with the last guy's administration was to review all of the Antiquities Act inclusions

19:54 with an eye towards taking them back.

19:58 And then it was an effort on everyone's part to make sure that the then Secretary of Interior understood why this should stay as it is.

20:11 And we had to rally the troops again.

20:13 We had to make the argument again, and we were successful.

20:18 But you can never -- and this is the warning -- you can never rest on your laurels.

20:24 This is important.

20:26 It's an incredible accomplishment.

20:28 Everyone should be congratulated, and you should just remember it's not done.

20:34 We've got to stay vigilant.

20:36 We've got to make sure that this is protected for those future generations.

20:40 Thank you all very much.

20:52 I'm going to get my steps in today.

20:55 Thank you, Congressman.

20:58 Again, appreciative of the relationship.

21:01 Look forward to continuing to build on that.

21:04 It is now my honor to introduce Secretary Crowfoot to the stage.

21:08 Thank you.

21:15 What a day.

21:17 I imagine I'm speaking for a lot of us here today when I tell you that my heart is full today of both appreciation and optimism.

21:28 Appreciation for those who have led us on this very long journey to get here, the leadership of Yochadehi Wintu Nation

21:36 and the Pathwan leaders who have been stewarding these lands since time immemorial, the perseverance,

21:43 the boldness of our congressional delegation, Congressman Thompson and Garamendi,

21:49 and then Senator Padilla coming into the U.S. Senate with the head of steam on public lands conservation,

21:56 and then our leadership of the Bureau of Land Management, without which this would not be possible,

22:01 and then, of course, to the allies that supported tribal leaders in getting us to this day,

22:07 and then, of course, to the President.

22:10 I'll reflect a little bit on what this day means.

22:13 I was driving up here and thinking about the long arc of history.

22:18 A couple months ago I spent time in Malaklayak with many of the allied leaders driving this forward.

22:25 This was part of our last push to nudge the administration towards actually taking the action.

22:31 And I learned a lot about the geologic history of the coastal range behind me,

22:36 not measured in thousands or hundreds of thousands of years, but tens or hundreds of millions of years,

22:43 this amazing plate tectonics that shifted to create this globally unique mountain range behind us

22:50 with one of the richest diversity of life on planet Earth.

22:56 This 13,000 acres, Malaklayak, has over 500 plants, 43 of them rare,

23:03 as a result of this unique geology, this unique soil.

23:07 What an incredible natural history.

23:10 And then the history of the people.

23:12 And I've been educated to know that people have always been part of these lands since time immemorial,

23:18 and the incredible stewardship over eons from the indigenous leaders who continue to lead stewardship here.

23:27 And then if we look at that vast history, the blip of time that has been management by our federal land agency,

23:33 the Bureau of Land Management, managing over 250 million acres across our country.

23:40 So even within that vast history, the milestone that we celebrate today is meaningful and consequential.

23:49 Why? Because it protects in perpetuity, notwithstanding our need to maintain vigilance,

23:56 those sacred cultural sites, that world unique biodiversity for future generations, durable, permanent protection.

24:09 It's meaningful as well because President Biden has taken one more step in what's a remarkable conservation legacy

24:16 that not enough people know about.

24:18 The president across the country, across the West,

24:22 is proposing what's known as the Antiquities Act to protect more land through national monuments

24:27 than almost any other president in American history.

24:31 And I'm told that if he designates just a handful more national monuments in this term,

24:38 including hopefully a couple few in California, he will actually become the president that has conserved most land

24:48 through this presidential authority.

24:50 So it's just incredibly remarkable.

24:52 It's also a major milestone because it's another huge transformational step forward

24:58 from the Bureau of Land Management under the leadership of Tracy Stone Manning.

25:03 The Bureau of Land Management, as I said, manages 250 million acres,

25:07 and historically that has been for multiple uses, grazing, timber, fossil fuel extraction, energy development, recreation.

25:16 And conservation has never been on par as a priority for the Bureau of Land Management until now under this administration.

25:24 A set of rules being finalized in recent weeks actually sets conservation on the same priority as the rest of those uses,

25:34 which is going to be critical to the president's commitment to conserve 30 percent of the country by 2030,

25:41 to our state's commitment under Governor Newsom and our legislature to conserve 30 percent of our land in California by 2030.

25:50 So this is a remarkable moment, and I can tell you that it's actions like this that are going to help us achieve 30 by 30,

25:58 and it's why Governor Newsom, standing shoulder to shoulder with Senator Padilla and our congressional delegation,

26:03 was such a strong advocate of expanding this national monument.

26:07 But perhaps most consequentially this day is about a new model of conservation,

26:12 a model of conservation that recognizes the leadership of our tribal nations

26:17 and that commits ourselves to manage our public lands in partnership between the federal government and those tribal governments.

26:26 And so what you'll see witnessed here is a true first,

26:31 and it's something that we in California are looking to learn from and embody in our own relationships with tribal governments.

26:39 So I am so grateful of the president's leadership and his team in getting this done.

26:45 I am so deeply thankful for the patience, the perseverance, the leadership of our tribal governments and communities,

26:55 and so many allies that made this day possible.

26:58 And most of all, I'm hopeful that this action, this action, serves as the new model of American conservation.

27:07 So thank you.

27:20 Thank you, Secretary Colfitt.

27:23 I think you hit the nail on the head.

27:25 And truly, hopefully this is truly the start of a blueprint, and we can roll this out across the state.

27:34 So we do very much appreciate the partnership with the Newsom administration and all the folks who have been mentioned to this point,

27:42 with the support on this initiative.

27:46 And next I would like to offer a warm welcome to somebody who, you know, I think is extremely important,

27:53 has been extremely important to this process and will continue to be.

27:58 And so before we get to the official signing,

28:02 I'd like to ask the director of the Bureau of Land Management, Tracy Stone Manning, to say a few words this morning.

28:08 Thank you.

28:18 Let's see if I can do this without sunglasses, me and my Irish eyes.

28:25 I cannot see this page.

28:27 Gentlemen, you are a hard act to follow.

28:30 Thank you, everyone, so much for being here today.

28:34 Thank you, Chairman, for hosting in such an incredible setting, and we all can feel Molok Loyok behind us.

28:45 You know, last September I had the opportunity to join Secretary Holland and many of you on Molok Loyok to hear firsthand about the sacred

28:55 importance of those lands, to learn about the central place that it has held for thousands of years of tribal origin stories

29:06 and how vital it is to protect the abundant biodiversity and wildlife connectivity found there.

29:13 And then Secretary Holland made sure that President Biden heard and then he delivered.

29:20 It's part of the Biden-Harris administration's really bold approach.

29:24 Thank you, Secretary Crowfoot and others, to point that out, his really true, bold approach to conservation and the America the Beautiful

29:32 initiative, which, of course, has conserved more than 41 million acres of lands and waters in the last three years.

29:42 And we're on track. Thank you.

29:46 We are on track to conserve more.

29:48 And we took your hint.

29:50 I will bring it back.

29:52 But today we're celebrating, of course, not only the expansion of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument,

30:00 we're celebrating the expansion that it includes Molok Loyok.

30:05 Molok Loyok, of course, meaning Condor Ridge in the language of the Puttwin people,

30:10 holds over 10,000 years of cultural and spiritual significance that deserves to be recognized and honored.

30:19 The California condor has made a comeback from the brink of extinction.

30:23 And now this sacred place where they once soared in abundance is protected.

30:29 And perhaps one day we'll welcome them back.

30:33 It's a place where soils, part of the ocean floor, serpentine soils now nourish over 40 rare plant species.

30:40 It's a place where the diversity of distinct plant communities provide a wide array of foods, tools and medicines for generations untold.

30:50 And it's a place of connection.

30:52 It has not only brought us together, this community of people here and now,

30:57 but the trails etched across the landscape have connected the Puttwin people with other indigenous peoples in the north for thousands of years.

31:06 And we know this from oral history and the knowledge passed down through generations.

31:12 We value our relationship truly and deeply with the Puttwin people and look forward to stewarding this part of the monument,

31:20 which we will celebrate here shortly. Our commitment to you.

31:24 You will have a strong and enduring voice in the management of these lands.

31:28 Under President Biden's leadership and Secretary Holland's leadership in just a few minutes,

31:33 the Bureau of Land Management will enter into a co-stewardship agreement with them for Molok Loyok,

31:39 including for educational efforts regarding the important history here and for management for years and years to come.

31:49 There's something really, truly worthy of celebrating today, something else.

31:54 There's a community of people here, tribal leaders, elected leaders, native plant enthusiasts,

32:00 conservationists that came together in service of place.

32:05 Some of you have worked decades on this. Truly. Thank you.

32:10 Thank you for your service to conservation, for your service to ancestral lands and community,

32:16 and most importantly, for your service to each other. This is what locally led collaborative conservation looks like.

32:23 This is the gift of land bringing people together. This is what makes us optimistic for the future.

32:30 Thank you all so very much. And Chairman Roberts, I'll hand the mic back to you so that we can celebrate and sign a co-stewardship agreement.

32:39 Thank you so much.

32:50 Right. The moment is upon us. So if I could ask the Tribal Council, Tribal Chairman Wright and folks from the BLM and Senator Padilla,

33:07 Congressman, join us at the table for the signing, please.

33:36 (Signing of the Covenant.)

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38:11 (Signing of the Covenant.)

38:40 Of course, our Tribal Leader, Chairman Wright, our Tribal Council, Tribal Secretary Mia Durham,

38:50 Tribal Treasurer Leland Kinter, Tribal Councilwoman Yvonne Perkins, Tribal Councilman Seth Lowell.

38:59 We have a number of citizens who are with us today to witness this occasion.

39:04 So thank you all so much for being here. We know that's extremely important.

39:09 Of course, we heard from a few of our dignitaries, Tracy Stone Manning.

39:13 I would also like to welcome Nadia Wolf Culver, Principal Deputy Director for the Bureau of Land Management.

39:22 Gordon Teves, Acting State Director of Bureau of Land Management.

39:28 Summer Shaw, Tribal Liaison, Bureau of Land Management.

39:31 Amy Duskey, Regional Director, Department of Interior.

39:36 Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, Assembly Member, Leader District 4 Representative.

39:42 Christina Snyder, Tribal Advisor to the Governor Newsom.

39:47 Debbie Gibbs, Deputy Chief of Staff for Congressman Garamendi.

39:52 Lucas Freerichs, Chair for the Yolo County Board of Supervisors.

39:59 Angel Borajas, Yolo County Board of Supervisor.

40:04 Oscar Villegas, Yolo County Board of Supervisors.

40:10 Eddie Crandall, Lake County Board of Supervisors.

40:16 I'm a former chair.

40:19 Wanda Williams, Solano County Board of Supervisors.

40:24 Christopher Cabaldon. Yes.

40:30 And if I forgot anybody, I truly apologize. But again, thank you all so much for being here to enjoy this momentous occasion.

40:40 It's been a lot of hard work, as most people that have come to the stage have said.

40:46 And, you know, I just I think it's appropriate. Having been such a close friend to the tribe and an ally from day one,

40:55 I'd like to take a moment and give Cecilia Aguiar-Curry a moment to come to the stage and say a few words.

41:13 Oh, my gosh. Breathe the air. Look at a beautiful place we're in.

41:20 I want to thank you for acknowledging all the work that all the people that have collaborated on this project, Chairman.

41:27 The effort has been going on for so many years with the designation of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument,

41:34 which I was a part of. And as I watched everybody sign the documentation today,

41:40 I wanted to cry because I was there when we did it with President Obama and how much that changed my life and my conversations with my colleagues.

41:49 About the importance of these monuments.

41:52 And I will continue to keep those stories and making sure that we get more monuments and more land protected.

42:00 You know, it's a historic partnership that started so many years ago.

42:05 And it started with so many of you that are here that had a vision.

42:09 And I want to thank you for having that initial vision and continuing the vision.

42:14 We have a lot more work to do. We have a lot more time to be spent together.

42:19 And I want to thank Senator Padilla for making sure this project got done.

42:25 Congressman Thompson, Congressman Garamendi, all of you have helped so much.

42:29 But as we know, it's the people on the on the ground that did the majority of this work.

42:35 So I want to thank you, all of you, the tribe, tribal chairman and your designations.

42:41 I really appreciate it. You know, this is a really big sign of respect that the Biden administration and you, Senator Padilla, have for the region's Wintun Nations.

42:53 And I want to just thank you for letting me say a few words, because I must tell you, my heart is full.

42:58 As Director Crowfoot said, our heart is full when we do these kinds of projects.

43:04 You know, we have a lot of confrontation in the world today.

43:07 But this puts us all back into peace and reminding ourselves where we all came from.

43:12 So, again, thank you very much for letting me speak. And have a wonderful time.

43:16 And I'll be there to help you out on the next one.

43:35 All right, everybody, that will conclude the event for today.

43:39 Again, just thank you, everybody, for being here.

43:42 You know, a big shout out and a huge appreciation to Council, past, present, just for their outlook and willingness to, you know,

43:53 take those steps to protect the resources that are so near and dear to our heart.

43:58 And so, again, thank you all.

44:01 Please travel safe. And we look forward to doing this again in the not too distant future.

44:07 Yes. Oh, thank you.

44:09 (applause)

44:11 [BLANK_AUDIO]

California & Tribal Officials Sign Expansion Agreement For Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument

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