News & Insights

A lot has happened since we last talked. I am going to hit some of the highlights. President Biden Acts One of the brightest moments this month was President Biden’s announcement on January 7 th that he will use his authority under The Antiquities Act to designate Chuckwalla N ational Monument and Sáttítla Highlands National Monument . The effort to protect these places has been led by Tribes and supported by a diverse coalition. Sáttítla is nestled 30 miles from Mount Shasta within the Shasta-Trinity, Klamath, and Modoc National Forests of northeastern California. Chuckwalla National Monument is in the California desert and reaches from the Coachella Valley region in the west to near the Colorado River in the east. President Biden’s designation protects 848,000 acres of culturally, ecologically and scientifically significant lands while boosting the local economies and ensuring access to nature for recreation. Upon these designations, President Biden will have protected 674 million acres of U.S. lands and waters, making great strides in building climate resilience and preserving biodiversity. 119 th Congress (2025-2026) The 119 th Congress convened on January 3 rd with some changes in leadership and the Committees that oversee many of our issues. Senate Republicans hold the Senate majority, with 53 seats. That number may change if Senator Rubio is confirmed as Secretary of State in the Trump Administration. Democrats hold 45 seats and there are 2 Independents. We have a new Senate Majority Leader in John Thune, while Chuck Schumer remains the Senate Minority Leader. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) has taken over as the Chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee , which has jurisdiction over Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service public lands, mining, water and power and energy. Chair Lee is a long-time opponent of expanding federal public lands and has been a leader in the efforts to roll back Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monuments and The Antiquities Act. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) will take over as ranking member. A former outfitter guide, outdoor educator, lifetime sportsman and conservationist, Ranking Member Heinrich has fought to protect our natural and cultural resources. House of Representatives Republicans have a 1 seat majority in the House of Representatives with 219 members. Democrats hold 215 seats. Currently, one seat is open due to Matt Gaetz’ resignation, although this seat is expected to be filled by a Republican. Leadership is unchanged, with Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries retaining their leadership positions. The House Committee on Natural Resources will continue to be chaired by Representative Bruce Westerman (R-Ark) . The Committee has jurisdiction over federal lands, energy and miner resources, Indian affairs and water, wildlife and fisheries. Chair Westerman has consistently criticized the establishment and expansion of national monuments, supported legislation to roll back The Antiquities Act and opposed adding Molok Luyuk to Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA) will take over the mantle of Ranking Member. A long time champion of public lands and our natural and cultural resources, Ranking Member Huffman’s District includes the Northern Inner Coastal Range. He supported the establishment and expansion of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. President-Elect Trump’s Team President-elect Trump has chosen former North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum to be U.S. Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior and to be his new energy czar. Interior is in charge of national monuments, parks, wildlife refuges and national conservation lands, approximately 20 percent of our lands, as well as mining, fish and wildlife and Bureau of Reclamation. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, which oversees relations with 574 federal recognized Native American tribes is also within Interior. A big promoter of oil and gas production, Governor Burgum has pushed for reduced regulatory burden. He has also prioritized tribal engagement. President-elect Trump’s choice for Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is his former domestic policy advisor Brooke Rollins . Agriculture is huge, with offices in every county in the country. Agriculture’s purview includes farm and nutrition programs, home and farm lending, food safety, rural development, agricultural research, nutrition, trade, biofuels and forests. Rollins is currently CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a pro-Trump think tank that she and others formed in 2021. From Texas, Rollins received an undergraduate degree in agricultural development and a law degree. So, we’re off and running. Stay tuned for more updates from the policy corner.

Telescopes with Jupiter visible above the trees in the background  On December 7 th , Tuleyome staff members Nate and Geoff hosted an Astronomy Night at Woodland Regional Park Preserve. Sierra College professor and astronomer Barry Rice was on hand with telescopes to lead the event – participants were able to see the rings of Saturn and the moons of Jupiter! The event was well-attended, with a Woodland Cub Scout Tiger Den coming out to complete an elective adventure on the night sky.

Tuleyome ’s Board of Directors is seeking new board members who are passionate about protecting, restoring and enjoying the natural landscape of the western Sacramento Valley and Northern Inner Coast Range. This is an excellent opportunity to support and help guide a local organization that has worked since 2002 to build and maintain some of our favorite local trails, run K-12 educational programs and nature-focused summer camps, conduct scientific and cultural assessments on protected lands, and advocate for federal land protections — all while engaging with the diverse communities that call our region home. If you’ve never served on a board, that’s alright! We value passion and new perspectives just as much as experience. Fill out this short form to express your interest so that we can contact you for an interview. Please forward this along to others you know who might be interested. Our goal is to have a Board of Directors that reflects the diversity of the regional community and is committed to Tuleyome’s vision and mission . In general, directors determine Tuleyome’s goals and policies and implement its strategic plan; participate in and evaluate programs, projects and community work; engage with the community to enhance Tuleyome’s visibility and public standing; approve and monitor finances; support staff and volunteers; and fundraise to support Tuleyome’s programs and operations. To find out more, please email Stephen McCord, President, Tuleyome Volunteer Board of Directors, at sam@mccenv.com .

 Since 1782, the Bald Eagle ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus ) has been the national bird of the United States. Except, it wasn’t…until now. It wasn’t the official national bird of the United States until December 24, 2024 when President Biden signed a law officially honoring the Bald Eagle as our national bird. For nearly 250 years, pretty much everyone recognized it as a symbol of America’s strength, courage, freedom and immortality but very few people realized that it had never been made official by an act of Congress. Since 1782, the bird has appeared on the Great Seal of the United States. It is on our currency and used on official documents of nearly every United States federal agency. One Bald Eagle named “Old Abe” even went into battle during the Civil War. He was the constant target of enemy riflemen but survived 42 battles relatively unscathed. Why they brought him along I don’t understand at all but his record is impressive and somewhat comparable to the Bald Eagle’s life history since Europeans arrived here. Native Americans lived peacefully with the apex predator for thousands of years. But, for over 200 years, newly arrived settlers accused the Bald Eagle of stealing livestock and even kidnapping babies which resulted in an all out eagle execution. By the late 19th century, Bald Eagle sightings had become uncommon where they were once plentiful. The National Emblem Act of 1940 declared protection from deliberate harm for the birds only to have dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) become widely available in 1945. As a result, again the raptor’s population took a drastic nose dive landing it on the United States Fish and Wildlife Endangered Species List. By the early 1960’s, less than 500 breeding pairs of Bald Eagles remained in the entire United States, less than 30 pairs were left in California. In 1972, the United States Environmental Protection Agency banned the use of DDT which, over time, has finally resulted in a conservation success story. It was removed from the Endangered Species List on June 28, 2007. Today there are over 500,000 breeding pairs in North America, a population equal to when the Bald Eagle was originally put on the Great Seal. What does this have to do with the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument? The Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument hosts the second largest population of wintering Bald Eagles in California. The best time to see our population of wintering eagles is from December to March. While they are here, they can be found in many locations around the region including the Colusa and Sacramento National Wildlife Refuges, Cache Creek and Putah Creek, Capay Valley, Clear Lake and Lake Berryessa. It’s peak Bald Eagle viewing time and it just so happens that the San Francisco Chronicle recently named our favorite national monument one of the best places in California to visit in 2025 so head out to explore and don’t forget your binoculars! -Kristie Ehrhardt ( kehrhardt@tuleyome.org ) Tuleyome Land Conservation Program Manager

Many of the houses in my neighborhood have sad, once-loved Christmas trees lying in the gutter waiting for the “claw” to come pick them up. Green-wasting your post holiday tree is a great idea, it’ll either be composted or run through a chipper and used as ground cover at a school or park but there are other, productive ways to recycle it too! Recycling your holiday tree for aquatic wildlife is a creative and rewarding way to provide habitat for fish and other aquatic wildlife. Various agencies collaborate on local and national projects to enhance and improve aquatic habitat. Collected trees are weighted down with cables and submerged to provide habitat for fish and other aquatic wildlife. The submerged trees provide spawning habitat and refuge for young fish by furnishing hiding spots from predators and shade from sun. The sunken trees also supply a place for algae and tiny aquatic invertebrates which are a food source for the young fish and larger invertebrates. By supplying habitat for young and smaller bait fish, larger fish are attracted to the areas and may upgrade your favorite fishing hole. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish Habitat Technicians collect discarded Christmas trees that will be used for underwater structures in waterways for aquatic wildlife. The gaps between the branches of the upcycled trees provide shelter for young fish and attract larger fish which creates more exciting opportunities for anglers. Fish find and occupy the underwater structures very quickly after they’ve been introduced indicating that they appreciate them. The California Conservation Corps (CCC) teamed up with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and a Chico Boy Scout troop to create several new fish habitat structures near Lake Oroville and Thermalito Afterbay that used over 1,500 donated recycled Christmas trees. Projects and partnerships such as this have been happening for over 30 years throughout California. Some other Northern California projects include fish habitat structures in Juanita, Orr and Trout Lakes from trees collected in Alturas and Yreka as well as a project in Green Springs Reservoir in Modoc County from trees collected in Siskiyou County. The City of Chester is also working on a project in Lassen County. Farther south, Riverside County also works with CDFW to collect trees from county landfills to be used for local fish habitat enhancements. And it’s not just being done in California. The Alleghany National Forest in Pennsylvania has been recycling and submerging Christmas trees since 1983 and has recycled nearly 20,000 trees in the Alleghany River. The recycle program in the Wayne National Forest in Ohio collects over 240 Christmas trees and ties them together in bundles to enhance habitat in local lakes. The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in Wisconsin has used Christmas trees to provide fish habitat for many years and the Hoosier National Forest in Indiana has placed trees in five local bodies of water to improve fish habitat. The trees need to be free of decorations, lights and any flocking but people seem happy to help by dropping their retired trees off at designated locations rather than plopping them in the street. The trees would have ended up in the landfill or a wood chipper and by upcycling them as fish habitat it not only gives the trees another purpose, it helps aquatic wildlife and those enjoying the outdoors as well. -Kristie Ehrhardt ( kehrhardt@tuleyome.org ) Tuleyome Land Conservation Program Manager

Years ago I was sitting in my Volkswagen Jetta (rest in peace, fun little car) in a grocery store parking lot in Sacramento. I was parked under a hackberry tree that was brimming with oodles of petite, buffy-yellow birds with pointy little crowns. The birds were gorging themselves on the berries from the tree and depositing digested bits all over my car but I didn’t care, I was enthralled by these new little friends. This was my first encounter with Cedar Waxwings ( Bombycilla cedrorum ). I don’t know why, or how, I hadn’t noticed them before with their stunning black face mask, satiny buffy-yellow body feathers, sunny lemon-tipped tail and bright red waxy droplets on their wings - which is where their common name comes from. Their Latin name, Bombycilla cedrorum literally translates to “silk of the cedars” referring to their silky, chiffon-looking plumage. They are native to North and Central America and breed in the woodlands of southern Canada. And migrate to winter in the southern United States, Central America and sometimes as far as northwest South America. Although they specialize in eating fruit, they also consume insects and flowers for a short time during nesting season. Cedar Waxwings are a medium size bird with a wing span of about six and a half inches and they weigh around an ounce - about the weight of a pencil. What appears to be wax droplets at the end of their secondary feathers are actually an accumulation of astaxanthin, a carotenoid that gives some fruit its red color. The red pigment is surrounded by a transparent cuticle which allows the color to show though. The size and number of these “droplets” are directly correlated with the age of the bird and it is believed that they convey social status among the flock. Cedar Waxwings are congenial and large groups of them are found among the edges of forests and woodlands but are also common in urban areas with easy access to fruiting shrubs and trees within their range. They are attracted to the sound of running water such as creeks, fountains and birdbaths. They are nomadic and will move in huge groups to find new berry supplies. Breeding season occurs while the birds are in Canada and begins in late spring and lasts through the end of summer. The male will hop in front of a female and if she is interested, she returns the gesture. A mated pair will sit together and pass an object such as a flower petal or an insect back and forth. Both Cedar Waxwing males and females have the same plumage (monomorphism) which is true with about half of all bird species, unlike waterfowl where males and females look different from each other. Both the male and female work on nest construction and will sometimes steal material from other species’ nests. The current population is estimated to be about 57 million birds. They begin to show up in the Sacramento area in September and stick around until about May depending on food availability. To invite these cordial little birds to your yard for their winter vacation, plant fruiting trees and shrubs that produce berries and provide a clean water source. Enjoy watching them! Fun facts about Cedar Waxwings: Cedar Waxwings have specialized digestion and can survive almost solely on fruit while other species cannot. The parasitic Brown-headed Cowbird lays eggs in the nests of other bird species for the parents to raise. The eggs that are laid in Cedar Waxwing nests often do not survive due to the high percentage of fruit. If Cedar Waxwings eat over-ripe fruit that has begun to ferment, they can become intoxicated. Some Cedar Waxwings in the northeastern states have an orange tipped tail due to the red pigments in a certain berry. If the bird eats a bunch of these berries while the feather is growing, the tip will be orange rather than yellow. Sometimes, if berries are difficult to reach, Cedar Waxwings will line up and pass berries beak to beak down the line until one of them swallows it. -Kristie Ehrhardt ( kehrhardt@tuleyome.org ) Tuleyome Land Conservation Program Manager

Our next Nature and You lecture series is returning from our holiday hiatus on January 23 rd with a lecture on California Jewelflowers and Climate from Dr. Julian Maloof and Dr. Jenny Gremer, both faculty members at UC Davis. In their talk, they will discuss how these unique and beautiful flowers respond to their environment and how those responses are impacted by climate change. The talk will take place on Zoom at 7pm on January 23 rd – please click here to register to receive the Zoom link . We hope to see you there! If you have any questions about this event or if you have a topic or speaker you would like to suggest for the Nature and You series, please contact Geoff at gbenn@tuleyome.org . Did you know that you can view all of our prior recorded Nature and You lectures on our YouTube page ? There are over 40 lectures available, covering topics ranging from hikes and trail building to plants, animals, fungi and more!

Our 2025 Certified California Naturalist course starts this Friday, January 10. There are a couple spaces left! Instruction focuses on the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument region while providing participants with skills and resources that are applicable anywhere to increase their knowledge, understanding, and enjoyment of the natural world. The Certified California Naturalist course is presented by Tuleyome in partnership with University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. Tuleyome, the expert organization on the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, is offering this 10-week course on consecutive Fridays, held at the University of California – Davis campus. No advanced degrees or previous naturalist experience is required. The UC California Naturalist Program introduces Californians to the wonders of our unique ecology and engages the public in study and stewardship of California’s natural communities. The program uses a science curriculum, hands-on learning, problem-solving, citizen science, and community service to instill a deep appreciation for the natural communities of the state and to inspire individuals to become stewards of their local resources. In addition to in-person instruction, students are required to attend field trips in the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument region. Field trips consist of low-impact walking trips and auto-tours, so they are suitable for all fitness levels. Impromptu walks are also often provided by the instructors as time permits to give participants even more experience in the field. Questions about the course should be directed to Nate Lillge at nlillge@tuleyome.org .