LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The job of overseeing the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument is now in the hands of a natural resource management veteran who has worked across the United States.

The Bureau of Land Management and the Mendocino National Forest named Melissa Hovey as the monument manager, a job she took over on Nov. 6.

Based at the Ukiah Field Office, Hovey now has the challenge of overseeing the 330,780-acre monument, composed of public lands that cross Napa, Yolo, Solano, Lake, Colusa, Glenn and Mendocino counties. Two-thirds of the monument is in Lake County.

President Barack Obama designated the national monument in 2015.

“It’s an amazing monument,” Hovey told Lake County News. “It’s got such a diverse array of interests and values.”

Hovey said the monument encompasses “some of the most spectacular public lands in the country.”

“We are fortunate to have Melissa’s experience, wisdom and collaborative leadership style as part of BLM California,” said BLM Central California District Manager Chris Heppe. “Her extensive knowledge of natural resource management and community partnerships will benefit the monument’s scenic and biologically diverse landscapes.”

“I am extremely pleased to welcome Melissa to the region,” said Mendocino National Forest Supervisor Wade McMaster. “I share her excitement for the opportunities here and gratitude for the monument and the collaboration among our agencies and partners.”

Hovey said she’s excited to take on this new role, which had been vacant for a year before her hire.

She’s looking forward “to working with the communities of Northern California, our partners, and the visitors to ensure this special place is available for the use and enjoyment of current and future generations.”

BLM and the Mendocino National Forest comanage the monument. The Ukiah Field Office has 12 staffers, and Hovey is the only one whose time is devoted 100% to the monument, she said.

Hovey, a native of Boston, has a bachelor’s and master’s of science degrees in civil and environmental engineering.

She’s been in natural resource management for more than 30 years, and has spent the last 25 years living in the western United States, working in Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Oregon and Wyoming.

Before taking the job, Hovey had worked on and off with BLM for more than 10 years, holding positions in the BLM headquarters in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana, and was the National Air Quality Resources Program manager.

She was instrumental in developing the agency’s first Report on Annual Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Trends and several adaptive management plans for air resources.

Hovey also has experience managing and developing environmental programs for municipal and state governments and assisting industrial clients with environmental permitting.

She said a typical day usually involves meeting with one of the monument’s many constituents — including tribal right holders and user groups — to get their perspectives on what’s important to them and to identify priorities.

“Of course the Indigenous values are very important,” said Hovey.

She said there is an amazing constituent group for the monument that spans a very diverse level of interest: off highway vehicle enthusiasts, hikers, equestrians, native plants protection, and ancestral and historic preservation. Hovey said the monument has it all.

There are some ongoing activities that will eventually support writing a monument management plan. She said the proclamations that create most designated monuments direct the overseeing agency to develop a plan.

President Obama directed that plan to happen within a time frame, which Hovey said hasn’t happened yet. “That’s really due to staffing and funding shortages and changing priorities in administration.”

Hovey said the primary goal is to ensure that the public’s values are both protected and utilized to the best use. Other goals include facilitating science and research within the area.

When she’s not at work on the monument, Hovey enjoys hiking, camping, skiing, and spending time with her family, including two border collie puppies.

Hovey encourages people to enjoy the monument.

“Get out there and see it and use it,” she said. “It’s a beautiful place.”

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.