Policy Corner: The Community Alternative Management Plan for Berryessa Snow Mountain

Bryan Pride • November 3, 2025

It’s been a decade since the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument was designated in 2015, and just last year we celebrated the expansion of the Monument to include Molok Luyuk. Now we’re in an exciting new phase: working alongside our community to shape how this incredible landscape will be protected for generations to come. 


Throughout 2025, Tuleyome has been collaborating with the Bureau of Land Management to submit detailed information about the many “objects of interest” that make our National Monument so special, from unique soils, to native plants, breathtaking geology and the rich cultural heritage of the indigenous people who have called this plan home for thousands of years. This information will help BLM develop the Monument’s resource management plan. 


But we’re not stopping there. We’re doing something that reflects the very best of what public lands protection can be: we’re creating a Community Alternative Management Plan (CAMP).

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    Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Dedication Celebration 2016

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    Oaks on Snow Mountain

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    Wildflowers abound throughout the Monument

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    Crockett Peak in Mendocino National Forest

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    Western Redbud (Cercis occidentalis)

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    Berryessa Peak Trail overlooking Lake Berryessa

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    Snow Mountain from Molok Luyuk with Indian Valley Reservoir in front

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What makes the CAMP different?


The Berryessa Snow Mountain coalition brings together people who know the landscape intimately: climate scientists, geologists, botanists, hydrologists, recreationists, conservationists, community members and representatives from tribal nations. These aren’t just experts, they’re our neighbors, the people who hike these trails, study these ecosystems, and carry forward traditional knowledge passed down through generations. By bringing diverse expertise and perspectives to the table, we’re creating a management plan that is inclusive, and reflective of what the Monument means to all of us. 


The CAMP follows models like the Bears Ears National Monument and the Mojave Trails National Monument, where community-driven planning has shown that the best way to protect public lands is to partner with the people who care and know the landscapes the best. This is a co-stewardship in action, a real commitment to ensuring that local experts and tribal knowledge shape how we care for these lands.


Once complete, we will present the CAMP to BLM to help inform their final Monument management plan. It is one of the many ways Tuleyome is making sure that those of us who visit, recreate, live near and hold cultural connections to the Monument have our voices heard in the decisions that affect these places we love. 


The work continues and we’re grateful to be doing it alongside a community that cares as deeply about Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument as we do. 


Want to get involved or learn more? Contact Bryan Pride, bpride@tuleyome.org, Tuleyome’s Policy Director.

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