The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is planning to close the Bureau of Land Management Field Office in Ukiah and that has U.S. Rep. John Garamendi extremely concerned — particularly since one area overseen by the office is Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument.

The proposed closure is part of a nationwide Trump administration goal to decrease government spending by eliminating “waste, fraud and abuse.” Billionaire Elon Musk and his team at DOGE have been assigned the challenge and last week, news broke that the Ukiah field office was on the target list of cuts.

The Ukiah field office manages approximately 270,000 acres of land and 214,000 acres of mineral properties in Colusa, Glenn, Lake, Napa, Marin, Solano, Sonoma, and Yolo counties and a portion of Mendocino County.

Among the protected areas that fall under the Ukiah field office’s jurisdiction” is the Snow Mountain National Monument.

“I am extremely concerned by Elon and DOGE’s decision,” Garamendi said Tuesday in response to questions from The Reporter. “This Ukiah field office serves many of my constituents. From ensuring proper management of our natural resources and maintaining our trails and campgrounds to preserving our cultural and historic landmarks, the Bureau of Land Management ensures proper sustainability with our public lands. They also contribute to our local economies.”

The monument area now includes more than 340,000 acres of public land. In 2013, legislation sponsored by U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson and Garamendi called for the initial designation and later, in 2015, President Obama issued a presidential proclamation designating federal land surround the Lake Berryessa reservoir as a new national monument. Last year, President Joe Biden expanded the area adding another 13,696 acres. The monument area now stretches from Lake Berryessa in the south to the Snow Mountain Wilderness and the Yuki Wilderness in the north, encompassing parts of Napa, Yolo, Solano, Lake, Colusa, Glenn, and Mendocino counties.

The ridge, now called Molok Luyuk, includes areas where religious ceremonies are practiced and sites that were central to vital trading routes, the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation said at the time of last year’s expansion.

“Molok Luyuk is a special and sacred place for area Tribes and for many residents who enjoy recreation activities like hiking and mountain biking,” Lake County Supervisor E.J. Crandell, also of the Robinson Rancheria Tribe, said in a statement. “The natural beauty of our homelands also drives tourism, which is key to the economic vitality of the region. The President protecting these beautiful lands is a gift to future generations.”

Closing the Ukiah field office of the Bureau of Land management would be “a detriment to the local economy, the land itself and the people we serve,” Garamendi said. “Unfortunately, this is another critical error by Elon Musk and Trump.”