The Medicine Lake Highlands in Northern California, near towering Mount Shasta, has a long and storied past. Its distinct lakes, lava beds and underground labyrinths rose from the blasts of what is the largest volcano, by volume, in the Cascade Range. The striking landscape has since drawn countless Native Americans seeking its professed healing powers. It has served as training grounds for NASA moon missions. It has sustained aquifers that help supply water to millions. On Tuesday, the site made new history with its designation by President Joe Biden as the 224,000-acre Sáttítla National Monument. The designation recognizes this remote, mostly wooded area in Siskiyou and Modoc counties, about 350 miles north of San Francisco, as federally significant and brings protections to ensure its safekeeping. 

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