January 2026 eNewsletter - Juristac Protected!

By Ed Ketchum, Chairman Amah Mutsun Tribal Band

Dear AMLT Community,

After decades of hard work by our people and supportive partners, I am honored to share the news of an important milestone for our Tribe and for the sacred landscape of Juristac. Today, our partners at Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) announced the purchase and permanent protection of 2,284 acres of Sargent Ranch, bringing their total ownership to more than 6,100 conserved acres of the Juristac Tribal Cultural Landscape and ending the threat of a sand and gravel mine. 

For the Mutsun people, Juristac is the home of a powerful spiritual being known as Kuksui. Juristac translates to “place of the Big Head,” and Big Head dances associated with Kuksui and other healing and renewal ceremonies took place in the area for centuries, often attended by neighboring tribal groups. Its protection brings hope for a brighter tomorrow when the Tribe can return to its sacred grounds and restore its traditions.

For years, this sacred place faced the threat of a massive open‑pit sand and gravel mine that would have destroyed hundreds of acres of cultural sites, threatened the lives of plants and animals alike, and irreparably damaged the spiritual and cultural integrity of the land. The Tribe made clear that such harm could never be undone, and it would have decimated one of the last remaining undisturbed areas in Mutsun territory. Today, that threat no longer exists.

We have many partners to thank for making this a reality. Firstly, we want to honor the Protect Juristac Tribal campaign team and all Tribal members who participated, the Green Foothills advocacy group, and all the allied organizations of the Protect Juristac coalition which worked tirelessly to eliminate the threat. Tribal members were joined by thousands of supporters, including other Tribal governments, community organizations, city and county governments, universities, environmental and faith-based groups, along with 29,000 petition signers who came together to safeguard this hallowed place. Through this collective work, we were able to successfully stop the mining proposal and now we can reunite with our homeland after hundreds of years.

We are especially grateful for the commitment POST made to secure this land. Over the past two years, POST has invested countless hours negotiating the sale and has invested significantly to acquire the Sargent Ranch property, ensuring that Juristac will not be subjected to further destruction. We thank them for their continued willingness to honor the cultural and spiritual significance of Juristac and to work with the Tribe in a respectful, collaborative way. Their partnership reflects a shared understanding that these sacred sites and the critically important wildlife habitat linkage at Juristac must be preserved for future generations.

For now, we celebrate and offer prayers of gratitude to Creator and the ancestors who guided and aided us on our path to healing and restoration and making this dream now a reality. 

Ho!

Ed Ketchum
Chairman, Amah Mutsun Tribal Band
Board Member, Amah Mutsun Land Trust