Napa Valley Register -- Conservation tag would help Napa, Lake Berryessa
October 19, 2013
Napa Valley Register Editorial Board
Many might argue that the last thing Lake Berryessa needs is another layer of government laid onto its open wounds.
The federal Bureau of Reclamation hasn't covered itself in glory in the last decade, with its mismanagement of the lake's struggling recreational facilities. County leadership, in many residents' eyes, has not fared much better in its handling of ongoing wastewater and fire protection issues.
Why then would Lake Berryessa benefit from the additional bureaucratic red tape that would result from legislation to designate it as part of a national conservation area?
Because fundamentally it will protect the best things the lake has going for it.
Rep. Mike Thompson's H.R. 1025 aims to establish the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Conservation Area, protecting 350,000 acres of land in five Northern California counties, including 62,000 acres in Napa County around Lake Berryessa. Companion legislation was introduced in the Senate by Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer.
Three federal government agencies â€" Reclamation, the Bureau of Land Management and the National Forest Service â€" manage different segments of the nearly 100-mile stretch of land.
That management won't be consolidated if this legislation passes. But by pulling together the Berryessa Snow Mountain area as a conservation area, it forces those three agencies to adopt the same guiding principles and unite their purpose. There would be no umbrella agency to oversee the area, but rather a new responsibility for each to adhere to a greater regional agenda, primarily the protection of that land.
How sad that it requires a law to get three government agencies to work together.
But nonetheless, the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Conservation Area is good for Northern California, for Napa and for Lake Berryessa.
Since first introducing the legislation in 2012, Thompson, D-St. Helena, has had to calm fears that this bill threatens recreational opportunities at Lake Berryessa.
It does not.
Rather, it could go a long way toward increasing awareness of the recreational opportunities at the lake and toward improving its economy.
Nor does the legislation aim to strip anyone of private property rights. In 2013, Thompson strengthened the language in the legislation to further protect the surrounding privately owned land.
Conversely, as recently as 2006, the Bureau of Land Management had drafted a plan to sell some of its surplus federal land in Napa.
Napa doesn't benefit from the sale of federal land in the county. It benefits from that land being protected from private development.
A national conservation designation would ensure that.
It would also open the region up to greater federal funding. National Conservation Areas have their own line item in the presidential budget.
That money could help raise the profile of Lake Berryessa and help it re-establish its recreation-based economy.
Attendance numbers at the lake have been plummeting for several years. It needs any stimulus it can find.
Protecting the lake's federal land from private development is an important step, as is finding additional federal funds to promote its many recreational opportunities and its beauty.
The legislation is not likely to be a top priority for this uncompromising and troubled Congress. Its chances for passage this year are slim.
But its value should be better appreciated locally. The more people who understand its benefits, the more weight it will hold in Washington.
The federal Bureau of Reclamation hasn't covered itself in glory in the last decade, with its mismanagement of the lake's struggling recreational facilities. County leadership, in many residents' eyes, has not fared much better in its handling of ongoing wastewater and fire protection issues.
Why then would Lake Berryessa benefit from the additional bureaucratic red tape that would result from legislation to designate it as part of a national conservation area?
Because fundamentally it will protect the best things the lake has going for it.
Rep. Mike Thompson's H.R. 1025 aims to establish the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Conservation Area, protecting 350,000 acres of land in five Northern California counties, including 62,000 acres in Napa County around Lake Berryessa. Companion legislation was introduced in the Senate by Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer.
Three federal government agencies â€" Reclamation, the Bureau of Land Management and the National Forest Service â€" manage different segments of the nearly 100-mile stretch of land.
That management won't be consolidated if this legislation passes. But by pulling together the Berryessa Snow Mountain area as a conservation area, it forces those three agencies to adopt the same guiding principles and unite their purpose. There would be no umbrella agency to oversee the area, but rather a new responsibility for each to adhere to a greater regional agenda, primarily the protection of that land.
How sad that it requires a law to get three government agencies to work together.
But nonetheless, the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Conservation Area is good for Northern California, for Napa and for Lake Berryessa.
Since first introducing the legislation in 2012, Thompson, D-St. Helena, has had to calm fears that this bill threatens recreational opportunities at Lake Berryessa.
It does not.
Rather, it could go a long way toward increasing awareness of the recreational opportunities at the lake and toward improving its economy.
Nor does the legislation aim to strip anyone of private property rights. In 2013, Thompson strengthened the language in the legislation to further protect the surrounding privately owned land.
Conversely, as recently as 2006, the Bureau of Land Management had drafted a plan to sell some of its surplus federal land in Napa.
Napa doesn't benefit from the sale of federal land in the county. It benefits from that land being protected from private development.
A national conservation designation would ensure that.
It would also open the region up to greater federal funding. National Conservation Areas have their own line item in the presidential budget.
That money could help raise the profile of Lake Berryessa and help it re-establish its recreation-based economy.
Attendance numbers at the lake have been plummeting for several years. It needs any stimulus it can find.
Protecting the lake's federal land from private development is an important step, as is finding additional federal funds to promote its many recreational opportunities and its beauty.
The legislation is not likely to be a top priority for this uncompromising and troubled Congress. Its chances for passage this year are slim.
But its value should be better appreciated locally. The more people who understand its benefits, the more weight it will hold in Washington.
Issues:Energy & Environment