EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. (October 20, 2023) – An exciting development from the golden state. California State Parks, in a significant stride towards heritage preservation and cooperation, has just inked a 5-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians.
This historic agreement was officially sealed during a formal signing ceremony on October 16th at the future location of the California Indian Heritage Center, lovingly known as Pusúune, situated in the heart of West Sacramento. The formalization of this MOU was witnessed by none other than the Tribal Chairwoman, Regina Cuellar, and the State Parks Director, Armando Quintero, signifying their commitment to coordinate and cooperate in the protection, preservation, and interpretation of state parks located on the Tribe’s ancestral homelands.
Chairwoman Regina Cuellar passionately remarked, “Our story is like many here in California. It makes the importance of the MOU we are signing here today all the more critical to not only securing the future well-being of the ancestral lands we are engaged in stewarding and the revitalization of sacred practices, but to us as a people and our identity as a Tribe.”
This MOU isn’t born out of thin air; it builds upon a rich history of collaboration between the Tribe and California State Parks. Their previous projects include the new Sutter’s Fort interpretation master plan, the Folsom Auburn Road Bridge Mural Project, and the management of the native landscape surrounding the State Indian Museum, Folsom Lake State Recreation Area, and Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park.
Armando Quintero, the Director of California State Parks, highlighted the significance of this collaboration, saying, “Working together, we are applying traditional native plant landscape stewardship practices and evolving the way we manage these lands well into the future. The integration of living cultural knowledge and practices in these publicly held lands in California illuminates the past as present and reveals California as a world of many rich cultures.”
But the MOU goes beyond mere cooperation; it paves the way for incorporating traditional ecological knowledge into the protection of cultural and natural resources, joint projects on parks interpretation and art, and partnering for cultural resource monitoring and protection. The latest exciting project involves a new interpretation for Sutter’s Fort and the Polo’ Oo Boat Launch at Black Miners Bar, a day-use area at Folsom Lake State Recreation Area.
This remarkable collaboration is part of a broader initiative by California State Parks, having already signed MOUs with four other California Native American tribes in the last year, and discussions underway with nine more tribes. It underscores the state’s commitment to acknowledging and preserving the rich cultural and historical heritage of its indigenous peoples.
This MOU is more than just an agreement; it’s a testament to the power of cooperation and shared responsibility in protecting and preserving the heritage and legacy of the land we all call home. It’s a step towards a more inclusive and culturally rich future for California’s state parks. We look forward to witnessing the fruits of this collaboration as we move forward into a brighter and more culturally vibrant future.
![Grizzly Flat [ca. 1851-1852]](https://www.inedc.com/23/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GrizzlyFlats-1851-1852-350x250.webp)
