Amah Mutsun Speaker Series

“Honoring Our Past and Celebrating Our Future: A Conversation with Amah Mutsun Tribal Member College Students”

The Amah Mutsun Speak Series (AMSS) events are a collaboration between the American Indian Resource Center at UC Santa Cruz and the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band. This event will mark the 13th year of these events, and the 25th consecutive event of the AMSS series. This special program highlighted six Amah Mutsun college students who discussed their experiences in higher education, shared about their research and how they hope to serve the community after completing their degree programs.

 

AMLT Fire Symposium Webinar

In this symposium panelists share traditional knowledge and results of research about how Native people used fire to steward landscapes and discuss how Tribes are working to revitalize cultural/prescribed burning as a land management tool.

 

Amah Mutsun Featured in Business Insider

This online mini-documentary news piece about regional prescribed fire showcases fuel reduction and cultural fire efforts of the Native Stewardship Corps and interviews Chairman Valentin Lopez, told in conjunction with our friends at Fire Forward-Audubon Canyon Ranch.


Amah Mutsun Speaker Series "Critical Mission Studies Research: Telling the Truth"

UCSC AIRC presents Amah Mutsun Speaker Series "Critical Mission Studies Research: Telling the Truth" featuring invited speakers Dr. Judith Scott, Dr. Renya Scott, Dr. Daisy Martin, Dr. Rob Cuthrell and Dr. Martin Rizzo with welcoming from Amah Mutsun Tribal Band Chairman Valentin Lopez.

Amah Mutsun Highlighted in UC Berkeley’s Electronic Holiday Card from the Chancellor!

We are proud to announce that we have been spotlighted in the electronic Holiday card sent out by the Chancellor of UC Berkeley! Our collaboration to uncover sustainable historical practices is something that we are very proud of, especially with a university as forward-thinking as the Cal Golden Bears. Watch at the 30 second mark for the Amah Mutsun appearance!

Juristac

Created by students at Stanford University, this short film highlights the history and importance of this sacred mountain to the Amah Mutsun.  To watch the video, enter the password juristac.  For more information on the Juristac campaign, and to sign the petititon in opposition of the proposed gravel mine go to http://www.protectjuristac.org/

 

Chairman Lopez Speaks to the UN on Juristac

On Wednesday, April 18th, Chairman Lopez spoke at the UN during a side event, bringing up the issue of the proposed gravel mine at Juristac and the continued disenfranchisement of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band and Native peoples.

Chairman Lopez of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band spoke at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues on April 17, 2018, calling for the protection of Juristac, a sacred site near Gilroy, CA. Learn more and sign the petition at: http://protectjuristac.org/petition

 

AMLT at the new ethnobotanical garden at Castle Rock State Park

The Amah Mutsun Land Trust, with the help of Sempervirens Fund, California Nativescapes, and members of the Muwekma Ohlone tribe, recently designed and installed an ethnobotanical demonstration garden at Castle Rock State Park’s new Robert C. Kirkwood Entrance. Volunteers joined us on the weekend of March 24th to plant over 700 culturally significant native plants in the garden. Watch this short video to learn more.

From March 23 to March 25, 2018, Sempervirens Fund volunteers, the Amah Mutsun Land Trust Native Stewardship Corps and members of the Muwekma Ohlone joined forces to plant an ethnobotanical demonstration garden at Castle Rock State Park's new Robert C. Kirkwood entrance.

 

AMLT Native Steward Nathan Vasquez interviewed during fire training

Veteran AMLT Native Steward, Nathan Vasquez, responds to questions following a fire training session as part of the 2016 Klamath River Prescribed Fire Training Exchange (TREX) camp. During the interview, Nathan describes how prescribed burns help to promote native biodiversity, and help manage potential fuel buildup. Nathan also shares his hopes to bring this practice back to the central coast and briefly touches on some of his experiences as a Native Steward.

Interview with Klamath TREX participant Nathan Vasquez from the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band of the central coast of California.

 

Umunhum

Umunhum sweeps you off your feet and places you on top of a mountain that had not been accessible to the public for over 60 years. The mountain is Mt Umunhum which stands 3,486 feet tall between San Jose, California and the Pacific Ocean. To restore the top of Mt Umunhum and open it to the public, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District collaborated with the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band with an open mind and open arms. The results of this collaboration are deeply meaningful for those involved, and they are visually stunning for anyone who visits the peak of Mt Umunhum. This film will inspire you to think about the land under you and how you can contribute to its restoration and healing.

Umunhum sweeps you off your feet and places you on top of a mountain that was not accessible to the public for over 60 years. The mountain is Mt Umunhum which stands 3,486 feet tall between San Jose, California and the Pacific Ocean. To restore the top of Mt Umunhum and open it to the public, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District collaborated with the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band with an open mind and open arms. The results of this collaboration are deeply meaningful for those involved, and they are visually stunning for anyone who visits the peak of Mt Umunhum. This film will inspire you to think about the land under you and how you can contribute to its restoration and healing. Mt Umunhum (pronounced um-un-um) is located in the 18,000 acre Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve managed by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. For thousands of years the Amah Mutsun people lived and prayed on this mountain. In the 1950s, the United States government built the Almaden Air Force Station on the top of Mt Umunhum, an early warning radar station that operated from 1957 to 1980. Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District purchased the site from the military in 1986. The District partnered closely with the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band on the significant and necessary restoration of this mountain top. Mt Umunhum opened to the public on September 18, 2017. Produced by Annie Burke A film by Plus M Productions Cinematography by Andy Miller, Mike Santaella and Robin Moore Original score by Robin Moore Edited by Andy Miller Funding for the film was generously provided by The Christensen Fund You are welcome to visit Mount Umunhum: https://www.openspace.org/mount-umunhum-sierra-azul The Amah Mutsun Land Trust is restoring and stewarding the land of their ancestors. You can support their work: amahmutsun.org/landtrust #umunhum

 

Here and Now

The Amah Mutsun are highlighted in this short documentary presenting four innovative partnerships between Native Americans and land conservation organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area. Here and now weaves together social justice, land conservation, human history, and scientific knowledge into a cohesive and moving story about what’s possible by working together.

Here and Now weaves together social justice, land conservation, human history, and scientific knowledge into a cohesive and moving story about what’s possible by working together. We learn about four innovative partnerships between Native Americans and land conservation organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area. Audiences will travel to mountain tops, valleys, and the coast to hear from local tribes, a working farm, a local land trust, an open space district, and a national land trust. We see how access to almost 1,000 acres of land in the Bay Area changes lives today and creates a new future. The organizations featured in the Here and Now film are Amah Mutsun Land Trust, Kashia Band of the Pomo Indians, Pie Ranch, Sempervirens Fund, Midpeninsula Open Space District, and The Trust for Public Land. The film is made possible with support from The Christensen Fund, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, and The Trust for Public Land. It was created by Plus M Productions and produced by the Bay Area Open Space Council. More info at www.bit.ly/hereandnowfilm Contact info: Annie Burke, producer, annieburkeconsulting@gmail.com Sarah Ross Noel, sarah@openspacecouncil.org Join the conversation online with #wearehereandnow