Monumental Questions - Even Better Birding in the Monument?!

Kristie Ehrhardt • February 11, 2026

You might already know that the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument (Monument) is a wonderland for birdwatchers. With a range of habitat types from aquatic, riparian, native grassland, oak woodlands, conifer forests to subalpine the range of species found in the Monument is staggering. If you prefer to break it down by county rather than habitat, western Colusa County boasts a birders paradise in Bear Valley and Lake County offers the shores of Clear Lake. Napa County showcases Quail Ridge Reserve and Lake Hennessey. Yolo County puts forth a plethora of hot spots including Putah Creek, Lake Solano, and the Cache Creek preserve which is home to Bald and Golden Eagles, Osprey and others! And, this is just a smattering of the treasure trove for bird nerds to enjoy in the nearly 345,000 publicly accessible acres of Monument.


But, how do you know where and when to go to see what? Even if you’re an experienced birder, it can be overwhelming to know where and when to begin. I know people that travel to different states to check birds off of their “life list”. I also know people, some of them are those same people, that travel all over the globe to get a glimpse of a rare bird - or maybe it’s just rare to someone from Sacramento. Either way it’s enticing and rewarding to be part of a community with a common interest. There’s almost a secret code between birders. There’s definitely a code to name abbreviations and a spiffy way to keep count if you’re recording them. There’s also a way to estimate the number of birds in a flock but if you’re just wanting to sneak up on a feathered friend near or far, how do you know where to start? 


Try downloading the Cornell Lab eBird app. The app lets you input your own findings as well as investigate other people’s observations. You can base your search on your location or use a near or far location that you’d like to go explore. Or, you can browse by species and see exactly where to go to find them.  The eBird app uses citizen science and operates similarly to the iNaturalist app, a favorite among biologists, naturalists and other interested folks. With the eBird app, you can contribute your sightings or even sound recordings to the community platform making it the largest birding community in the world. You can also create your own lists and have the app track them for you. 


The app not only makes birding more inclusive and interesting for individual birders but it is beneficial for the network of scientists as well. The combined data from the app helps conservationists understand how numbers of birds shift as well as aiding in developing genetic species distribution models that show where and when birds are in the region. This information helps develop and establish better conservation strategies for individual species and collective populations of birds.


The app is easy, fun and rewarding for novice and veteran birders, conservationists, scientists and ultimately the birds themselves. 

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Policy Corner: Protect our Wildest Areas

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Our wildest areas are under threat. In June, the Administration moved to weaken protections for our wildest public lands - those designated as wilderness, Wilderness Study Areas, Lands with Wilderness Characteristics, and recommended Wilderness. What do these areas represent? Millions of acres of untrammeled backcountry. The Department of the Interior, US Forest Service and National Park Service initiated the first step in unraveling these protections. They’ve called for a “review” of eight policies, opening the door to weaken protections and paving the way for short-term extractive industries, commercial development, and resource fragmentation at the expense of long-term conservation management of some of our wildest remaining public lands. Nearly 200 million acres of wildlands across the west could be impacted by this review, including approximately 120 million acres of Wilderness Study Areas and wilderness quality lands, and 75 million acres of designated wilderness areas. This includes the nearly 94,000 acres in Cache Creek, Cedar Roughs and Snow Mountain Wilderness areas in Berryessa Snow Mountain Nation Monument right here in our own region. These policies guide how federal agencies identify, manage, and steward designated Wilderness Areas, Wilderness Study Areas, and lands with wilderness characteristics. Together, they influence the management of millions of acres of federal public lands and translate statutory requirements into day-to-day management decisions. Continuing to protect wilderness qualities is consistent with protecting recreation. In many cases, wilderness-quality land provides the best opportunities for backcountry recreation; a CA outdoor industry responsible for 545,448 direct jobs valued at $38.1 billion. The total value-added worth of CA outdoor recreation is $81.5 billion, 2.2% of our gross domestic product. The Department of the Interior’s actions present a false choice between stewarding wilderness lands and providing opportunities for recreation. Let’s tell the Administration that we oppose these rollbacks and are committed to protecting our wild places. Sign on to the Wi lderness Review- National Sign-on Letter opposing five different actions across the three agencies by August 12th. Together, we can show this administration that we care about protecting these special places today and into the future. Sandra Schubert Executive Director

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I first heard about Tuleyome when I retired early from UC Davis eight years ago. I was looking for local organizations for volunteer opportunities. I discovered Tuleyome and got connected with Bill Grabert and Nate Lillge. I helped them lead hikes and school programs, then took the CA Naturalist course through Tuleyome. My capstone project was to lead a backpacking trip into the Cache Creek wilderness, which I did just as COVID was descending on us. I was, and still am, impressed at how such a small local non-profit has both ensured preservation of important wild areas and invested heavily in outreach to local schools. Working with kids from Lake County in the Redbud area was eye-opening and extremely gratifying. Some of them had literally never been on a hike in spite of growing up so close to all that spectacular wild land! I donate to Tuleyome to help them keep up the great work!!! I’ve spent countless days hiking in and enjoying the Cache Creek area; what a gem of a local resource! And, only last spring was I able to get up to Snow Mountain…so glad it’s preserved and accessible for camping and hiking. Wow! A wilderness area near my home - that’s amazing. I’m incredibly grateful for Tuleyome’s hard work that resulted in preservation of these important wild places, and I look forward to seeing what’s next.

Monumental Questions - What Makes California Newts Special?

By Kristie Ehrhardt • August 7, 2026
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