Summer 2020 eNewsletter
One thing I was taught early in my life is that our people are survivors. One of my earliest memories is during apricot season; I was living in a tent with my grandmother at Swanson Ranch in Hollister. My grandmother was blind and we had to be available to help her throughout the day. We’d help her to her chair outside the tent, under the shade of apricot trees so she could sit down for dinner. We helped her walk to the outhouse so she could go to the bathroom, and we helped her ride in the back of the flatbed truck so she could ride to the “cutting house” to cut apricots all day long. I had a special relationship with my grandmother and, importantly, the whole camp helped her. My grandfather, who was born in 1900, picked apricots, so he was gone for the most of the day and when he got home he’d be very tired. My grandmother always had a smile on her face and didn’t look at this life as a hardship. She would tell us about our history and about her growing up. She always listened to the news stations on the radio and would tell us what was going on in the world.
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Winter 2020 eNewsletter
As we look back on 2020 we can surely say it has been a year like no other. We first had to deal with the Covid-19 crisis and all of its challenges that continue today. Then we were hit by the CZU lightning complex fire which brought devastation to so many of our friends and neighbors. I’m sure we’re all looking forward to 2021 hoping and believing it will be a much better year.
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Summer 2019 eNewsletter
Our Amah Mutsun Land Trust continues to grow in amazing ways. When our Land Trust was first starting, I remember being asked what the hardest thing about having a land trust was. After just a few seconds of thought I said, “Trust.” Trusting people outside our Tribe was incredibly hard. I recognize today that this was, and is, a very true answer.
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Spring 2018 eNewsletter
A lot has happened since our fall newsletter was published. On December 13th, 2017, our AMLT signed a Cultural Easement agreement with Midpeninsula Reg ional Open Space District for the 36-acre top of Mount Umunhum. This easement grants to our Tribe permanent rights to help steward the mountain top for natural resource conservation, cultural relearning and public education.
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Fall 2017 eNewsletter
Our Amah Mutsun Land Trust continues to work hard to fulfill our goals of conserving and restoring indigenous culture and natural resources within our traditional territories; researching and educating about the traditional ecological knowledge that our ancestors developed and followed for thousands of years; and stewarding our lands to ensure a resilient future for Mother Earth and all living things.
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Winter 2017 eNewsletter
We’re very happy to announce that on January 12th, former President Barack Obama designated the CotoniCoast Dairies as a National Monument. The 5,800 acre Cotoni-Coast Dairies is in Santa Cruz County and extends from the steep slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains to marine terraces overlooking the Pacific Ocean. This National Monument encompasses ancient archaeological sites, riparian and wetland habitats, coastal prairies, and woodlands that include stands of coast redwood. Our Amah Mutsun Tribe and Land Trust supported this effort and actively worked on the campaign to achieve this designation.
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Fall 2016 eNewsletter
Our Amah Mutsun Land Trust (AMLT) is happy to introduce our first Executive Director, EkOngKar Singh Khalsa. Mr. Khalsa, “EK,” comes to us from the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA), an environmental nonprofit based near Boston. While developing a professional organization at MyRWA, EK worked vigorously to restore strong herring migrations; ensure clean water for swimming and boating; preserve habitat for critical species; reduce discharges of pollutants into waterways; remove invasive plants; develop active volunteer engagement; and provide environmental education programs for the public. These accomplishments are directly in line with the goals we have for our AMLT.
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Summer 2016 eNewsletter
Our Amah Mutsun Land Trust (AMLT) is happy to share with you the second edition of our newsletter. The big news for our Land Trust is that we recently made a commitment to hire our first Executive Director, who will be joining us on October 1. We look forward to formally introducing you to the new Executive Director in our next newsletter.
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Spring 2016 eNewsletter
Our Amah Mutsun Land Trust (AMLT) is pleased to bring you the first edition of our AMLT Newsletter. Our Amah Mutsun Tribe is comprised of the documented descendants of the indigenous peoples taken to Missions San Juan Bautista and Santa Cruz in the greater Monterey Bay area of California. As Chairman of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, I would like to introduce you to our Tribe and Land Trust. To understand the Amah Mutsun it is important to understand our creation story. Our Creation story occurs at the peak of Mount Umunhum, which was the highest peak in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Mount Umunhum translates to the home, or place, of the hummingbird in our Mutsun language. All life, plants, wildlife, people, wind, fog, etc. were created at Mount Umunhum; they are our relatives.
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