Wishtoyo - News & Publications

Clean Water Act Celebrates 35th Anniversary

- October 2007
Thursday, October 18, 2007 marks the 35th anniversary of the Federal Clean Water Act. While the implementation of clean water laws has not been as ideal as planned, the immense achievements in cleaning pollution impairing our waters has created notable change. The necessity for these changes continues to swell as water resources become more limited and impacted by widespread polluting practices.

Although many of our state’s waterways remain contaminated, the Clean Water Act forms the foundation of water laws in our country. Benefits of healthy, clean water - suitable for fishing and recreation - is a resource we cannot afford to compromise.

Please contribute to your local Waterkeeper organization to help keep a major force for resource protection a vital and effective.

Please click here to Donate to the Ventura Coastkeeper.

Chumash Village Progress! - April 2007

Please view our Chumash Village Project Update to see the great progress being made at the Chumash Demonstration Village in Malibu! We thank all those who are helping with the tasks of construction!

Wishtoyo's Mati Waiya Participates in Condor Segment on PBS
- December 2006

Mati Waiya, Executive Director of the Wishoyo Foundation - lead plaintiff in a condor lawsuit (see below) against state agencies - was invited by the Public Broadcasting Station (PBS) to participate in their special segment on the condor endangerment situation in California. Please follow link to view Endangered Condor broadcasts:
See Videos: Mati Waiya's PBS Broadcasts

Wishtoyo Files Condor Lawsuit - December 2006

Wishtoyo Foundation, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Center for Biological Diversity, along with representatives from the hunting community, brought suit under the federal Endangered Species Act.on
Nov. 30, 2006, against the Calif. Fish and Game Commission and Dept. of Fish and Game for continuing to allow toxic lead ammunition to poison rare California condors although safe and effective alternatives are available.

The California condor is one of the most imperiled animals in the world. In 1982, the last 22 wild birds were rounded up in a captive-breeding program. The government began releasing them back into the wild in 1992, but scientists say lead poisoning is probably responsible for killing as many as 46 of the 127 birds released in California.

Condors are exposed to lead in carcasses or the remains of animals cleaned by hunters in the field. Condors mistake bullet fragments for the calcium-rich bone they require.

“Condors are critical to our culture and to our religion,” said Mati Waiya, a Chumash ceremonial leader and the executive director of the Wishtoyo Foundation, a Native American organization in central California . “But they will not survive so long as we continue to allow them to be poisoned by lead. We can solve this with the use of safe and effective nontoxic ammunition that will allow hunters to continue their activities and, at the same time, protect condors.”

WISHTOYO WINS L.A.'s APA 2006
SPECIAL PROJECT AWARD FOR MERIT for
Nicholas Canyon Chumash Village and
Stream Restoration Projects!
- May 2006
Wishtoyo won a Special Merit Award from the American Planning Association for our Chumash Demonstration Village and Stream Restoration projects in Malibu. We are very pleased and honored as the projects have been a great endeavor and gratifying effort for Wishoyo over the past four years.

"AGRITOXINS: Ventura County's Toxic Time Bomb"
                              - Wishtoyo Pesticides Study

Wishtoyo Foundation's Agritoxins study quantifies the hazardous effects of agricultural pesticide use on the habitants and environment of Ventura County.
To view a pdf version of the paper, please click here: Agritoxins: Ventura County's Toxic Time Bomb (Please note, it may take a moment for it to appear on your screen.)

For Project Updates, please click on
the following links:

Chumash Village Update

Agritoxins: Pesticides Program

Nicholas Canyon Creek Restoration

Ormond Beach Wetlands

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