Molok Luyuk Is Protected
On May 2, 2024, native plant advocates across California celebrated Molok Luyuk’s permanent protection! President Biden used his powers under the Antiquities Act to expand Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument to include Molok Luyuk, a ridge on the eastern side of the existing monument in Lake and Colusa counties.
The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation requested the expansion to include the BLM-managed lands formerly known as Walker Ridge. Molok Luyuk, means “Condor Ridge” in Patwin, and is Patwin heartland. It includes historic Tribal trading routes and ceremonial sites significant to Pomo, Wappo, and Miwok peoples, as well.
The California Native Plant Society (CNPS), partner organizations, and legislative and administrative champions rallied behind the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation’s request. CNPS has monitored and documented Molok Luyuk’s biodiversity for decades, recording more than 40 rare plant species and special plants, including the adobe lily (Fritillaria pluriflora), the world’s largest area of habitat for the McNab cypress (Hesperocyparis macnabiana), and sensitive natural communities, such as blue oak woodlands.
Until the designation, the ridge faced ongoing development threats. In 2005, CNPS submitted its first Area of Critical Environmental Concern petition for the area to the BLM, followed by another in 2011. “Conservation is long, hard work,” said CNPS Conservation Program Director Dr. Nick Jensen, who helped lead the multi-year campaign to protect Molok Luyuk. “And we should savor this moment, not just for ourselves, but for those whose footsteps we follow.”
Ways of Seeing
“See” Molok Luyuk with artist Obi Kauffman & botanist Nick Jensen
Scenes from Molok Luyuk
Special thanks to our donors
Significant support and valuable partnership came from a coalition of funders, including Resources Legacy Fund, Wyss Foundation, and other anonymous donors.
