December 18, 2009
The ancient Kahs-tcho (redwood trees) of Richardson Grove have always been regarded as sacred by Indigenous Peoples. Since time immemorial, the Nahs-lin-che keah and other Tribal peoples inhabited and utilized this area of Sinkyoko (S. Fork Eel River), including this place that later became known as Richardson Grove. For Native peoples, the Grove is special because our ancestors inhabited this region for thousands of years, long before the era when the Grove's now-huge trees were mere seedlings. The prayers and songs of our people are forever recorded within the memories of this sacred place. The delicate balance of Sinkyoko's redwood/river ecosystem was maintained through our people's annual world renewal ceremonies, their purposeful burning of the understory, and their wise use and care of the Kahs-tcho along with the myriad plant and animal communities that depend on this great tree for life. We are told our people's blood was one of the elements used in the creation of the Kahs-tcho, intended as a reminder to us that our life and the life of the "red-wood" are vitally connected.
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Despite genocide and diaspora, local Tribal members have maintained their vital cultural connections with the Grove. The Grove has always been an important source of traditional food and medicine plants, and a place where Tribal members conduct their ceremonial activities throughout the year. The Grove's Kahs-tcho are considered to be an irreplaceable component of the heritage of Tribal peoples of this region, and are critical for their continued cultural survival.
The spiritual power of the Kahs-tcho within the Grove is great. Anyone who visits the Grove can feel this power, if they are willing to be open to it. The Grove is the only place on Highway 101 where one can pass so closely by the ancient redwoods. Ecologists estimate that only 4% of old-growth redwoods remain standing in our "Redwood Region". And now, the ancient Kahs-tcho of Richardson Grove are threatened by a Caltrans-proposed highway-widening project.
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The Caltrans-planned project is designed to allow larger freight trucks to travel through the Grove without special permits, thereby supposedly boosting Humboldt County's economy. Caltrans also promises that the project would reduce the occurrence of accidents in the Grove. Several conservation groups submitted comments on the project's Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR), citing data that cast serious doubts on these claims. The assumption that widening the highway would bring economic benefits to the region is entirely speculative. Proponents of the project also assume these hypothetical economic benefits present sufficient justification for the irreversible environmental damage that would result if the proposed project were undertaken.
InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council (Council) is a nonprofit Native land conservation organization comprised of 10 federally recognized California Indian Tribes that retain important cultural, ancestral, and historic ties to the Sinkyone region of Humboldt and Mendocino Counties. Since the 1980s, we have been engaged in efforts to protect Sinkyone's remaining old-growth redwoods, and restore the cultural ecology of our people's homelands. In 1997 we established the first-ever InterTribal Wilderness on 4,000 acres adjacent to the Sinkyone Wilderness State Park. This land's redwood ecosystem in protected in perpetuity through conservation easements that prohibit commercial and extractive activities, development, and subdivision. We work with many partners on a wide range of cultural conservation projects throughout the region that are designed to bring healing to the land and the people.
When Caltrans first proposed the project, our Council determined to stand in defense of Richardson Grove. Ancient and mighty as they are, the Kahs-tcho cannot defend themselves from the threat posed by the severing and compacting of root systems prescribed in the proposed project's EIR. We believe it is our responsibility to defend the Grove's ancient trees and ecosystem, and to ensure permanent protection for this special place, which constitutes a vital legacy for present and future generations of all peoples of Mother Earth. As Indigenous People and survivors of the holocausts against our people and the land, we have determined to stand on this land of our ancestors to protect our relative the Kahs-tcho. We have joined forces with many others--individuals and organizations--who also have vowed to defend Richardson Grove.
The movement to protect Richardson Grove is growing daily. This generation of people is unwilling to allow damage to the Grove's ancient Kahs-tcho. In recent months a number of events have been organized to educate people about Caltrans' plans to damage the Grove, and more are now being planned. The Council held an Intertribal Cultural Event at the Grove on August 29. Tribal members from throughout the region, along with leaders from local environmental organizations, attended. The event featured traditional prayers and songs by Indian peoples of the redwood region who came together to recognize, honor, and pray for their relation the Kahs-tcho. On October 2-4 local Redwood activists organized the Redwood Curtain Bicycle Run from Arcata to Richardson Grove to bring attention to the threat to this precious place and energize people to oppose the Caltrans project. The most recent happening was the 350.org Global Day of Climate Action, held locally at Richardson Grove on October 24. On that day, people in 181 countries came together, calling for "strong action and bold leadership on the climate crisis" now facing our Mother Earth.
The Council and many others are demanding that Caltrans adopt the No Build Alternative and implement traffic slowing measures, rather than waste an estimated $6+ million of taxpayers' money on an unnecessary project that would cause irreparable damage to the Grove's sacred, ancient trees. We are committed to using every available resource and every necessary tactic in our to fight to defend the Grove.
We are asking people everywhere to join us in defending the threatened Kahs-tcho of Richardson Grove and, in doing so, honor and protect this sacred part of our Mother Earth.
For more information, and to find out how you can help, contact:
InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council
Phone: 707.468.9500;
Email: director@sinkyone.org
Environmental Protection
Information Center
Phone: 707.822.7711;
Email: kerul@wildcalifornia.org
Humboldt Watershed Council's
webpage about Richardson Grove:
www.voicesofhumboldtcounty.com/?cat=4
More Information About
InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council
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TOC for Forest & River News, Winter 2009