Mission

The Pit River Tribe has called on President Biden to protect their ancestral homelands, Sáttítla (aka Medicine Lake Highlands), in California through a national monument designation. We flew over the proposed Sáttítla National Monument, viewing the gorgeous 200 square miles that could be protected.

The region is home to outstanding public lands and recreational opportunities like hunting and fishing, as well as unique and important geologic, hydrologic, and wildlife values. Sáttítla remains central to the Pit River Tribe’s spiritual practices and values.

Our overflight covered an ancient shield volcano, the largest in North America. The volcanically formed aquifers capture and store as much water as California’s 200 largest reservoirs and discharge over 1.2 million acre-feet of snowmelt annually. These feed the Fall River Springs - one of the biggest aquifer systems in the West - and its world-renowned trout fishery. These critical headwaters provide water resources for downstream agriculture and millions of people.

Currently, this area is without proper and meaningful protections and has been threatened by harmful industrial geothermal development. A national monument designation would honor the Tribe’s longstanding efforts to protect their ancestral homelands, and the proposed designation has seen widespread support from local Tribes, sportsmen/women groups, conservation organizations, and Senators Padilla and Butler.

Thank you to our partners for working to protect this sacred landscape, its wildlife, and water. EcoFlight will continue to fly in support of Sáttítla Medicine Lake Highlands National Monument's designation and the preservation of California’s public lands.

Click for the photos, aerial footage, and geo-referenced photos from the flight