Napa Valley Register - Napa Chamber of Commerce endorses Berryessa Snow Mountain monument

The Napa Chamber of Commerce and the state Legislature have added their voices to those endorsing establishment of a Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument.

This proposed national monument would take in 350,000 acres of federal lands in Napa, Mendocino, Lake, Solano, Glenn, Colusa and Yolo counties. Various federal agencies would have to coordinate management for the lands they oversee.

Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, has been working in Congress for several years to create a Berryessa Snow Mountain National Conservation Area. As an alternative approach, Thompson asked President Obama to create a national monument, an action that would not need Congressional approval.

Thompson announced the Napa Chamber of Commerce endorsement.

"Economically, the Napa Valley is a gateway to the region to the south and the west," chamber Chairman Ken Frank wrote to Obama. "Permanent protection will support our local communities surrounding the park."

Assemblyman Bill Dodd, D-Napa, on Monday announced that his effort to have the state Legislature support Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument status has succeeded.

"The passage of this resolution sends a clear message to the President that the protection of this unique wilderness is important to both our region and our entire state," Dodd said in a news release.

Among those supporting national monument status are Napa County, the Calistoga Chamber of Commerce, the cities of Calistoga and St. Helena and the Napa County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. The Lake Berryessa Chamber of Commerce opposes the move.