More Cultural Updates
- from Angela Mooney-D'Arcy, Wishtoyo's Cultural Resource Director

From the Gulf Coast to the West Coast: a Cross Regional Consultation
Angela was invited to participate in this historic event convened by the Critical Race Studies Program at UCLA School of Law which brought together civil rights leaders from Louisiana and Mississippi with California legal and social advocates to identify major challenges and urgent legal needs of communities impacted by the hurricane. For more information on this project please visit the UCLA School of Law Critical Race Studies website at http://www.law.ucla.edu/home/index.asp?page=2039

AB 2641 Protecting Native American Burial Grounds
This legislation will help to counter the harms caused to Native American burial grounds from looting, vandalism, desecration and destruction. Many of California Indian sacred sites, burial grounds and traditional cultural places have already suffered these fates.  AB 2641 will help to preserve the dignity of the Ancestors by assuring that Native American resting places will be afforded the same protections that non-Native American cemeteries presently receive. While federal law exists that protects Native American sacred burial sites in specific circumstances, AB 2641 will extend those protections to the state of California to ensure collective development goals while preserving sacred burial grounds in the state.
Angela researched the proposed legislation, wrote a letter of support on behalf of AB 2641, and presented testimony in favor of the bill at a legislative committee hearing in Sacramento . Protecting Native American burial grounds is essential to tribal cultural survival and community well-being. It is our obligation as the descendants of the first people of this land to advocate for the respectful treatment of our Ancestors. 

Pesticides
Angela has also assisted in the maintenance and development of Wishtoyo’s Pesticides Community Outreach Program.  She participated in a day-long strategic planning session to clearly outline and define Wishtoyo’s goals and plan of action for pesticide reduction in Ventura County .  She has worked in collaboration with the Pesticides Project coordinator on projects such as Wishtoyo’s official letter of objection to EPA’s proposed approval of Methyl Iodide as a replacement for the harmful pesticide Methyl Bromide presently used on crops.  Angela continues to keep up to date on Wishtoyo’s two current pesticide-related law suits—the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) suit undertaken in collaboration with a group of community and environmental organizations and the Toxic Air Contaminants lawsuit filed in January of 2005.  As a result of the VOC lawsuit, the court recently ordered California to reduce such smog forming emissions from pesticides, a significant environmental victory for all Californians.