L to R: Don Bastien, USFS (former DPR ranger); Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell; Rick LeFlore, DPR; Donna McGuire, DPR; Don Schmidt, DPR (Photo by: U.S. Department of the Interior)

The dedication of a new national monument is a momentous occasion, the culmination of years of hard work and preservation. Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument was recognized with a formal dedication ceremony on March 19, 2016 at the Bureau of Land Management’s Cowboy Camp.

In attendance were many local and national dignitaries including U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, U.S. Representatives Mike Thompson and John Garamendi, California Secretary for Natural Resources John Laird, along with hundreds of conservation leaders and supporters. Designated by President Obama in July 2015, the newest national monument balances resource protection with multi-use recreation.  It took years of cooperative efforts among many different public agencies and private partnerships, including California State Parks, to protect this beautiful slice of California as a national monument for all of us.

The event organizers invited the Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division (OHV) to provide an interpretive booth in order to highlight the continued OHV recreational opportunities previously established in this area. Approximately 700 people visited the centrally-located booth and participated in interactive programs to learn about safe and responsible off-highway vehicle recreation. The OHV staff had the pleasure to give Secretary Jewell a personal tour of the booth that supports the efforts of this newly designated public land.