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Newsletter ~ Vol
V, Spring 2003
Haku!
Message from Executive Director:
Mati Waiya. . .
Wishtoyo started this new year with a sacred fire ceremony to
celebrate Winter Solstice. This season is a time of renewal and of new
beginnings. This ceremony, held in December, was special. It was the
first time that we were able to gather at the Chumash Village site in
Malibu, California for ceremonial purposes. As we reflect on the year
that has gone by and the sun begins its new cycle, we are grateful for
all our accomplishments. We aim to continue on this great journey
protecting our precious resources, the land, the water and the air.
New and exciting projects
are developing at Ventura Coastkeeper (VCK). One of the newest
projects VCK has taken on this year is the Central Coast Agritoxin
Monitoring (CCAM) project. We are collaborating with organizations,
agencies and local leaders in Ventura County addressing the use of
agritoxins and their impact to the environment and human health. We
are in the process of hiring a part time person to handle our
bilingual hotline for the CCAM project. This will afford the public
and Latino communities an avenue to monitor and report witnessed
environmental violations to the watersheds and public health.
Another new project we are
excited about is the decision to facilitate a new in-house law clinic.
This clinic would invite the new and local CSUCI and UCLA University
law students to participate with VCKs on-going projects where legal
issues are concerned.
Picture
of the
Chumash Village
ceremonial circle
in Malibu,
California.
This will be the
site of the Chumash demonstration village that is still in the
planning stages. This ceremonial fire circle will be the heart of the
village and host many sacred fires and ceremonies including weddings,
namings, blessings, ceremonial sweats and seasonal celebrations.
I would like to thank the staff for all
their hard work and dedication. We identified significant goals for
this past year and have come a long way in meeting these goals. Our
on-going and new projects have taken on a whole new meaning with
consultants, volunteers and students working together as determined
eco-warriors. Damon Wing has come on board as our programs director
and has demonstrated outstanding skills and knowledge in his field.
Lin Myerson continues to manage the everyday Wishtoyo/VCK operations
efficiently and with a smile. Sometimes I wonder how we all keep
ourselves energized, but we just keep on going and going. When it
comes to looking out for the environment, our staff is always ready to
lead the way with research and investigation. I would also like to
thank our board of directors who bring advice, expertise and
leadership to the table. Their experience through the years brings a
diverse and strong voice to our foundation. I can't say enough about
the local citizens groups and passionate individuals who have
volunteered their time working with our foundation to enhance our
water quality monitoring sites and our restoration projects this year.
Citizen's involvement is so critical to environmental stewardship.
When it comes to protecting mother earth, where we raise our children,
we should all be held accountable.
Right of Entry/Access Permits & Lease
In June 2002 Wishtoyo Foundation received the long-awaited Right of
Entry permit and property lease for Nicholas Canyon County Beach, from
the Los Angeles Dept. of Beaches & Harbors. This is the site for
Wishtoyo's Chumash Demonstration Village and Stream Restoration
projects. Keep an eye out for our Adopt-A-Highway sign coming soon on
PCH!
Winter Solstice
In December 2002, from the 17th through the 22nd, Mati Waiya
celebrated the Winter Solstice at Nicholas Canyon for the first time,
honoring the Chumash who inhabited that very site for centuries. Mati
endured the elements of strong winds, rain and cold, staying outside
24/7, along with family and friends, who volunteered their comradeship
for the event.
It is quite special, after years in the making, that Wishtoyo can now
hold ceremonies at the Chumash Village site. Our friends were invited
to join in on the last day, and that morning the clouds overhead
opened up and bright rays of light shone down upon us, as the fire,
which was kept burning for 6 days, glowed and everyone present said
prayers and remembrances, and shared a very special moment.
We look forward to our continuing work in
the creation of the Village and the Stream Restoration at this
beautiful site, and hope you will come and join us for some of the
hands-on restoration work we'll launch this year.
GIS Mapping & Master Plan
We have completed GIS mapping of the Nicholas Canyon site. The maps
show site boundaries, non-native vegetation, eroded stream banks, as
well as fish passage barriers. This is a big step forward and we thank
Heal the Bay's Stream Team for their enthusiasm and expertise!
Bio-Regional Planning Associates of Santa Barbara, CA has been chosen
to prepare the Master Plan and CEQA documentation for Nicholas Canyon.
Wishtoyo was awarded a restoration grant for continuation of the
project once the Master Plan and CEQA requirements have been met.
Calleguas Creek and Water Monitoring
Project
Damon Wing, hired as Ventura Coastkeeper's Programs Director in
March, 2002, is facilitating our Calleguas Creek Watershed Monitoring
project. We acquired water monitoring equipment for sampling and
testing tasks with funds from a 2001 grant from The Norcross Wildlife
Foundation. Damon and volunteers have been collecting samples in
several locations within the watershed. Damon has also trained several
citizen volunteers who are making up the Citizen Volunteer Team.
Damon Wing, Programs Director.
Damon is collecting
water samples
at Calleguas Creek
watershed.
On February 5th, 2003, Ventura Coastkeeper
was elected to the Calleguas Creek Watershed Management Plan Steering
Committee, which oversees all watershed sub-committees regarding
issues, plans and budgets. Coastkeeper has already been involved on
the water quality sub-committee and TMDL Special Task Force.
In addition, we have been working with the Ventura County Watershed
Protection District to help determine monitoring sites and obtain
permits to monitor their flood control channels. We are looking at
sites beyond the Calleguas Creek Watershed that will include various
tributaries in Ventura County.
VC Reporter Feature
In July 2002 Mati appeared on the cover of Ventura County Reporter,
along with a feature article about Wishtoyo Foundation. Reporter Marty
Westlin had contacted us in May, and after touring our projects with
Mati and discovering how much we are involved in, the original article
insert became a feature article. Mati appeared in full Chumash regalia
in the photo on the cover of the July 25th issue.
We are appreciative of Marty's excellent writing skills and keen
observations, and for getting our name out into the public. It's vital
for our growth and establishment as a new force in the environmental
and cultural worlds of Ventura County.
Thank you Marty!
Western Alliance for Nature
Mati has been appointed by Dr. Larry Wan to sit on the Board of
Directors of the Western Alliance for Nature. The mission of the
Western Alliance is to preserve lands for wild life habitat and to
preserve the heritage of archaeological and historic sacred lands of
indigenous people (www.wanconservancy.org).
We look forward to supporting this conservancy and congratulate Larry
on this new endeavor.
Waterkeeper Alliance Conference
In June 2002, Mati attended the National Waterkeeper Alliance
Conference in Salt Lake City, UT, along with quite a few of our Keeper
colleagues. He met with many attendees while there, and entertained
some with Chumash stories and songs. Many new contacts were made,
while he enjoyed the fantastic backdrop of snow-covered mountains and
deep blue skies. Mati also had an opportunity to brainstorm future
strategies with Waterkeeper Alliance founder Bobby Kennedy Jr.
Mati and Bobby Kennedy
Jr. at Waterkeeper Alliance
Conference, June 2002.
Ormond Beach Wetlands Recovery
The Ormond Beach wetlands are a remnant strip of what was once a huge
expanse of coastal marshes and estuaries between Port Hueneme and Pt.
Mugu. The beach, dominated by pickle weed salt marsh and mudflats, is
home to a number of rare, threatened and endangered species. The
Calif. Coastal Conservancy, supported by the City of Oxnard and
Ventura County, has plans to restore these coastal lagoons and
adjoining areas into what is expected to be a National Wildlife
Refuge.
Los Angeles based Oxy Energy Services, a subsidiary of Occidental
Petroleum Corporation, was seeking to purchase 26 acres of wetlands to
build a $250 million liquefied natural gas receiving terminal next to a
nearby power plant. A underwater pipeline would connect the terminal
with a docking station 4,000 feet offshore.
On Friday, May 17, 2002, a media event was held at the end of Arnold
Road in Oxnard. Many County and City officials were present, as well
as Peter Brand of the Coastal Conservancy. Over 150 residents attended
in support and the event was taped and broadcast on TV, as well as
radio ads which were sponsored by Ventura Coastkeeper and Santa
Barbara Channelkeeper. Mati appeared in full Chumash regalia to speak
for the wetlands habitat and its sustainability as well as his Chumash
ancestors, who once inhabited this very site. Also in attendance was
Wishtoyo Board of Directors President Beau Bridges, who recalled how,
as a boy, he walked the local beaches with his family.
The following week, Mati and Damon drove to Monterey to speak at the
Coastal Conservancy hearing regarding acquisition of the property. The
Conservancy voted to acquire the Ormond Beach wetlands, which was
owned by Southern California Edison. This marked a great victory for
many people who had fought long and hard to preserve this site.
On June 20th, at the Whale's Tail Restaurant, Wishtoyo hosted a
Victory Celebration in honor of two of the people who were
instrumental in the outcome: Jean Harris and Roma Armbrust, both
long-time residents of Oxnard. Mati Waiya presented each of them with
Eco-Warrior Awards, saying that their perseverance will impact the
wetlands for many years to come. Also present were: Sara Wan, Chair of
the Coastal Commission, Supervisor John Flynn, Carol Taylor of
Accurate Engineering - a local business which actively participated in
the effort, and a large group of enthusiastic supporters, including
many people who had donated their time and services over the years
Wishtoyo has since participated with the Beacon Foundation, the Sierra
Club, and Earth Alert! in an appeal to prevent Pacific Vehicle
Processors from developing an adjacent site into a automobile
processing center. This project would have negatively impacted the
wetlands environment. With the help of John Buse, of the Environmental
Defense Center, the Oxnard City Council agreed with the appellants and
many members of the community that an EIR was was necessary.
Eventually the company withdrew its proposal. Thanks to all those who
assisted in the effort!
Alliance with Bioregional Planning Associates (BPA)
BPA is working with Wishtoyo foundation to develop a management
plan and CEQA documents for the Chumash Demonstration Village in
Malibu, California. BPA is a small, woman-owned, specialty-service
consulting firm that focuses on ecosystem-based planning, integrated
natural resource planning, and policy analysis. BPA’s
interdisciplinary team provides practical, cost-effective, timely and
efficient services for local, state and federal government and
non-government organizations in policy formation and large-scale
planning. BPA has extensive working knowledge of environmental
legislation and regulatory requirements, and provides specialized
analyses on cultural and ecological issues and concerns, such as
biodiversity protection, ecological restoration, the preservation of
historical and culturally significant areas, and coastal and marine
ecosystem management and planning. We are pleased to have formed this
alliance and look forward to collaborating with BPA on many more
projects in the future
(mcginnis@peoplepc.com).
New Wishtoyo Board Members
Wishtoyo Foundation is extremely pleased to announce three new members
who have generously and enthusiastically agreed to join our Board of
Directors in 2002: Sara Wan, of the California Coastal Commission;
Carole Goldberg, Professor, UCLA Tribal Law Clinic; and Max Gail,
actor and founder of the L.A.P. Foundation. Welcome Aboard!
Wishtoyo's New Location
Wishtoyo / VCK is happy to announce our new location at the Marine
Emporium Landing in Channel Islands Harbor. In September 2002, we
moved Upstairs, to Suite 222 (same building as before).
After hiring Damon last year, we were in dire need of space; we were
literally looking over one another's shoulders and unable to hear
ourselves on the phone, much less store the monitoring equipment we
were acquiring. Please note the change, and you
are welcome to stop by and say Haku (hello)!
Rainbow Bridge Dinner 2002
Wishtoyo would like to extend our thanks to everyone who participated
in our Second Annual Fundraiser Rainbow Bridge Dinner last November.
The event was held at the Embassy Suites Mandalay Beach Resort in
Channel Islands Harbor and was a great success. In addition to having
Beau Bridges on board as Host for the evening, Wishtoyo was honored to
present awards to Fran Pavley, The Chumash Maritime Association, and
Phil McGrath of McGrath Family Farms. We were thankful to have Mary
Nichols and Pedro Nava present these awards to our honorees on behalf
of Wishtoyo. Many wonderful friends and supporters made our evening
all the more enjoyable, and we extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone
for supporting Wishtoyo, spending the evening with us and helping to
celebrate our second year of existence.
This evening would not have been such a success if it hadn’t been for
Lin Myerson’s hard work and attention to details. Thanks so much Lin!
Dolphin Dancers;
(L-R)
Choy ’Slo,
Mati,
Emilio
Valenzuela and
Dennis Garcia.
Our guests were treated to Chumash songs
and dances, a five star meal, appearances by Chumash elders Charlie
Cooke and Choy ’Slo, and a terrific performance by the Dolphin
Dancers, led by elder dancer, Choy ’Slo.
Project CCAM
The first draft of the Central Coast Agritoxin Monitoring project
White Paper has been completed and is now being reviewed. The paper is
the first step in our long-term pesticides project regarding Ventura
County agriculture's enormous use of toxic chemicals. It quantifies
the hazardous effects of pesticides on human health and on our
environment. Recently, there have been legislative efforts to regulate
agricultural use of pesticides, fungicides and herbicides which
pollute the runoff and contaminate our waterways. Until now,
agriculture has been largely exempt from effluent pollution
regulation, even though industrial discharge limits have been
instituted for many years, in accordance with the Clean Water Act of
1972.
Student Ocean Conference, November 2002
Mati spoke at National Geographic Society's November 2002 educational
event, “Student Ocean Conference”, at the Long Beach Aquarium. It was
a tremendous gathering of students who showed incredible interest and
awareness about our marine environment and its preservation. Mati was
extremely pleased to meet so many bright young people - the ones who
will carry the enormous responsibility of correcting the mistakes and
negligence of modern society's pollution, and dealing with the many
toxic components that have been introduced into our natural
environment. Special thanks to Bruce Monroe for his passionate
advocacy for protecting the ocean.
Chumash Words of the
Day:
Q' oy 'alapay ~ To go around in the sky
Alisyelu ~ Paradise
'Onyoko ~ Shark
'Aqiwo ~ Star
'Elye 'wun ~ Swordfish
Moloqiwash ~ Ancient One
Link to Chumash Values
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