The Blue Ridge Berryessa Natural Area:
a peninsula of wild and range lands extending from the southern portions of the Mendocino National Forest all the way to Interstate 80 in Solano County.  Sparsely populated and abundant in natural resources, the BRBNA stands out in California as a mosaic of public and private lands that have witnessed relatively little change in the last century.

The region is named for two prominent geographic features – the Blue Ridge Mountains and Lake Berryessa – but is also characterized by an array of surrounding valleys, ranches, and natural areas. Thousands of acres of oak woodland serve as the signature ranchlands that characterize those portions of the landscape shaped by human use. These private lands comprise nearly half of the BRBNA while federal and state lands make up the other half. Throughout the publicly accessible lands, there is ample opportunity for nature-based outdoor recreation including hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, hunting, fishing, rafting and canoeing.

Founded in 1997, the BRBNA Conservation Partnership
provides a forum for public and private land managers to meet and discuss their activities.  The group has since grown to nearly 75 members, including federal and state agencies, counties and other public entities, local businesses, non-profit organizations and conservation-minded landowners – all with the common goal of promoting collaborative conservation of the natural and working landscape of the BRBNA.

Five principal objectives guide the work of the Partnership.

• Preserve, protect and enhance the region’s natural and cultural resource values.
• Support conservation-based land-use activities and sustainable economic development in the BRBNA and its gateway communities.
• Respect the rights of private landowners.
• Encourage resource-compatible, non-growth inducing recreation on public lands.
• Consider all positions on an issue but only support those where the Partnership has reached consensus.

NEXT BRBNA Partnership meeting:

       9:30am Friday, April 12, in Yountville   ...MORE info