In September 2022, members of the Redwood CORE Hub joined key community and philanthropic partners for a three day tour of the Pacific Redwoods Region to learn about the ecology, history, climate, and resilience of the area. The following is a recap of some of the highlights from the tour.
We met with members of the Elk Valley Rancheria and the City of Crescent City, who spoke to some of the projects and partnerships they have engaged in to bring folks together while also acknowledging the pain, trauma, and resilience of Indigenous peoples in the area as well as the history of extraction in the region.
One of these projects included a beachfront park, which the city was able to address the community needs to increase spaces for culture and reflection. From this work emerged a cultural committee group, which led to securing $200,000 in funding from the California Coastal Commission to include culturally relevant story telling through murals and art installations.
The Elk Valley Rancheria and City of Crescent City have an aligned vision that focuses on the healing power of nature, which tries to encourage learning from the original stewards of the land and breaking barriers to tell truthful stories to promote the healing of Elk Valley Rancheria and the Tolowa Dee-ni’ people.