More than a decade after Irenne Zwierlein – a Native American tribal member who previously inked plans with a major developer to build on roughly 6,000 acres of pristine property just south of Gilroy known as Sargent Ranch – forged documents in an attempt to prove herself the rightful leader of the local Amah Mutsun Tribal Band of Ohlone/Costanoan Indians, the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs made a move last week that left her rivals “absolutely blindsided.”
The Amah Mutsun tribal band signed a memorandum of agreement with Pinnacles National Park staff members last week to formalize an ongoing partnership between the agencies.
The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band has received national recognition for its work at Pinnacles National Park in collaborating with the Universities of California, Santa Cruz and Berkeley to conduct two research projects that took an innovative approach to habitat restoration. The projects integrated traditional Native American land management practices with contemporary techniques to restore and protect the natural and cultural processes in the unique California grassland system.
Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar said the National Park Service is striving to become a place that is more inclusive and the redesignation ceremony Monday surely reflected that effort.
A landmark event for a local Native American tribe whose roots to this area track back nearly 3,000 years is approaching Saturday, when Bishop Richard Garcia of the Monterey Diocese will offer a mass of reconciliation at the San Juan Bautista Mission and “apologize for the tragic events which occurred during mission times.”
The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, which has deep historical ties to Gilroy and San Benito County, has forged an agreement with the Sempervirens Fund to work together to protect the natural and cultural resources of the Santa Cruz Mountains.
The core dispute surrounding 6,400 pristine acres just south of Gilroy – a magnet for real estate developers, a Holy Grail to nature conservationists and “most sacred grounds” to a local Native American tribe – could unravel in court this month if the property’s dozens of investors find common ground.