Photo: Just one half of the audience at the meeting in Weed by Doug Mandel
Article by David Ledger
JUST RELEASED: President Biden more than likely to make Sáttítla a National Monument! Click here to read more
There was no need for organizers in support of the National Monument status for Sáttítla (Medicine Lake Highlands) to worry about the turnout at the public hearing by the Department of Agriculture and the Klamath National Forest at the College of the Siskiyous. The December 7 meeting in Weed had a standing-room-only crowd at times and lasted for five hours so everyone could testify. Most people in the audience were in favor and most were from the Pit River Tribe.
Two Mt. Shasta Council Members spoke out in favor and two Siskiyou County Supervisors spoke against Sáttítla. Many opposed thought it would change their opportunity to hunt or ride snowmobiles which it won’t. It will eliminate any mining of lava rocks, better protect archeological sites, and with Pit River Tribe input limit “healthy forest” logging and protect the wildlife habitat.
They had a meeting a day earlier of various stakeholders and SEA was invited to the nongovernmental organizations (NGO) meeting of about 15 people and the Assistant Secretary of the Department of Interior, the Superintendent of the Klamath National Forest, and a representative for Senator Padilla were there. They did let each NGO member give their concerns at the hour-plus meeting. Separate meetings were held for elected officials and extractive industries such as logging companies.
At the meeting, I was surprised to see quite a few SEA supporters in the audience including one man from Weaverville and three SEA board members. I drove up with Doug Mandel of Ghost Pine Native Plant Nursery who wrote a letter of support and spoke at the meeting as did I. The Pit River Tribe gave away free T-shirts and Indian tacos. Overall, it was a fun and uplifting experience. CNPS was there in force including the state Executive Director Jun Bando and many staff members. One CNPS employee called me on the drive up to make sure I was coming and put down my name and Doug’s as a speaker so we didn’t have to wait for hours.
Now we wait for 18 days. The public meeting was the last step of many in developing a recommendation for National Monument Status. If President Biden doesn’t declare it in the next two weeks, the Pit River Tribe and other tribes will have to wait four more years before starting all over if there is a “friendly” President in office.
Thank you to all who signed petitions, wrote emails, or spoke out in support and worked on this noble effort!
