Geography and Character
Geographically, the Blue Ridge Berryessa Natural Area (BRBNA) can best be understood as a peninsula of wild and rangelands extending from the southern boundary of the Mendocino National Forest all the way to Interstate 80 in Solano County. This mosaic of natural habitat, working ranches, occasional vineyards, and extensive recreation lands, is part of an even larger ecological zone that extends north into Oregon.  Encompassing over 785,000 acres, the heart of the BRBNA is located approximately 90 miles west of Sacramento and 100 miles northeast of San Francisco, which is about a two and a half hour drive from both cities (Figure 1-1).  The BRBNA includes portions of five rapidly growing counties – Napa, Yolo, Solano, Lake and Colusa. Eight cites and unincorporated communities serve as gateways to the BRBNA including Williams, Woodland, Esparto, Winters, Napa, Rutherford, Angwin, Middletown, Lower Lake and Clear Lake (Figure 1-2).To the south of the BRBNA are the Solano County cities of Fairfield and Vacaville, located along the fast growing I-80 corridor linking the Bay Area with Sacramento. West of the BRBNA is Napa County and the Napa Valley, a premier tourist destination, world renowned for its wine and scenic vineyards. Also to the west is Lake County with its lake-oriented recreation and retirement communities. The vast farmlands and expanding bedroom communities of the Central Valley form the eastern boundary of the BRBNA. The northern boundary of the BRBNA is the watershed of the North Fork of Cache Creek in the Mendocino National Forest, which extends from within the BRBNA to over 50 miles northward.

Land in public ownership accounts for close to 303,000 acres (approximately 38%) of the BRBNA and includes lands owned and/or managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), the California Department of Parks and Recreation, and the US Forest Service (USFS).  Private lands and lands without public access comprise approximately 483,000 acres of the BRBNA including large ranches, land trust protected natural resource lands, and lands in the University of California's Natural Reserve System.

The landscape is characterized by both its natural values and its support of land-based economic enterprises.  A wide variety of habitats are represented within the BRBNA including serpentine chaparral, grasslands, oak woodlands and extensive riparian and cliff habitats. The area's size and remoteness support tule elk, bald and golden eagles, mountain lions and black bears. Privately owned lands in the region have a long history of agricultural use and include a number of large cattle ranches as well as vineyards, one of which has been in operation since 1893.

The BRBNA region is also rich is cultural resources. Traces of human settlement have been found throughout the region dating back 10,000 years. More recently, four Native American groups populated the region – the Hill Patwin, the Pomo, the Lake Miwok, and the Mayacamus (Wappo). Following Native American settlement, Spanish explorers arrived in the region as early as 1808, followed by other settlers of eastern European descent. The California Gold Rush transformed the region's flatlands from isolated farming communities into a booming agricultural region and provided a market for the quicksilver produced from the area's mercury mines. Stops on the Southern Pacific Railroad put many of the gateway communities on the map.

Recreation opportunities are found throughout the BRBNA, primarily on public lands, providing a wide variety of nature-based, resource-compatible activities. These include hiking through the region's scenic and varied terrain and natural areas, lakeside or more remote camping, biking and horseback riding along the region's many roads, fishing, canoeing and kayaking in the region's lakes and creeks, swimming, boating and water-skiing at Lake Berryessa, and white water rafting in Cache Creek.