Category Archives: Tribal Affairs

Alerts, Environment, Local Government, Tribal Affairs

Del Norte Supervisors Weigh In On Assembly Bill That Recognizes Tribal Stewardship On State Conservation Lands

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Thumbnail photo: Rosa Laucci, Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation marine program manager, led a hike down the Sweetwater Creek Trail during a 2023 celebration commemorating the reclamation of place names at Tolowa Dunes State Park. | Photo by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

Three months after he opposed a proposal to transfer Tolowa Dunes State Park to the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation, Del Norte County District 3 Supervisor Chris Howard has his sights set on another assembly bill penned by the same author.

Authored by San Bernardino Assemblyman James Ramos, Assembly Bill 53 would allow federally recognized tribes to receive grants, awards and loans from the Wildlife Conservation Board’s California Riparian Habitat Conservation Program and Inlands Wetlands Conservation Program.

It would also allow federally-recognized tribes the ability to enter into contracts or agreements with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to manage “certain lands.” 

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Articles, Community News, Education, Regional News, Smith River, Tribal Affairs

‘Respectful Recognition Of The Original People’; Smith River School To Acknowledge Its Place In Tolowa Territory

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Thumbnail photo courtesy of the Smith River School Local Organizing Committee

Updated at 11:07 a.m. Saturday to correct Andromeda Lopez’s title and clarify Amanda O’Connell’s title.

It took more than a year of “energy, passion and advocacy,” but the Tolowa community, parents, teachers and advocates finally received the green light to formally recognize that their school stands on Tolowa homeland.

Andromeda Lopez, a Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation citizen and a True North Organizing Network leader organizer, called the unanimous approval from Del Norte County Unified School District trustees to install a public land acknowledgment sign at Smith River Elementary School a landmark moment in local history.

But the Board’s decision on Thursday came after its president, Charlaine Mazzei, cut the public comment period short amid outcry over what she and her colleagues said was a misunderstanding over the definition of the word territory.

Continue reading ‘Respectful Recognition Of The Original People’; Smith River School To Acknowledge Its Place In Tolowa Territory →
Articles, Emergencies, Local Government, Smith River, Tribal Affairs

Del Norte Supervisors Take Issue Tolowa Dunes SP Closure; Praise Tax Relief Bill Named For LaMalfa

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Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz

District 1 Supervisor Darrin Short was absent. Among the items discussed at Tuesday’s Del Norte County Board of Supervisors meeting.

Tolowa Dunes SP Closure: Three county supervisors said they fielded calls and complaints regarding the temporary closure of parts of Tolowa Dunes State Park over the weekend.

The California State Parks North Coast Redwoods District authorized the closure of several access points and trails to allow the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation to observe the Lhuk Rite Ceremony. The annual ceremony celebrates the importance of salmon and its annual return to its river habitat.

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Articles, Parks, Tribal Affairs

Tolowa Salmon Ceremony Prompts Temporary Closure of Some State Park Access Points, Trails

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Thumbnail photo by Tim Rochte via Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons license

Portions of Tolowa Dunes State Park will be closed to the public to allow the region’s original inhabitants space to celebrate a cornerstone of their nutritional health and culture.

The Lhuk Rite Ceremony signifies the importance of salmon and celebrates its annual return, according to the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation website. Occurring before any fishing takes place, Tolowa Dee-ni’ adults attended the ceremony to pray for a plentiful harvest.

The partial park closure will take place from 7 a.m. Saturday through 5 p.m. Sunday, according to a Superintendent Order from the North Coast Redwoods District of the California State Parks. It will impact access points at Pala Road, Silva Lane and the Kellogg Trailhead Road, according to the order. 

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Articles, Environment, Fort Dick, Smith River, Tribal Affairs

San Bernardino Lawmaker Authors Bill to Cede Tolowa Dunes State Park To Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation

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Thumbnail photo: Rosa Laucci, Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation marine program manager, led a hike down the Sweetwater Creek Trail during a 2023 celebration commemorating the reclamation of place names at Tolowa Dunes State Park. | Photo by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

Brie Fraley identified a divide between her community and those who see the land that’s now Tolowa Dunes State Park as just a public space.

A descendant of the Grimes family, one of the last to live at the village of Yontocket, Fraley said its current status as public land is a barrier to her being able to practice her spirituality in a safe way. 

Yet the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation tribal member agreed with Del Norte County District 2 Supervisor Valerie Starkey who, along with her colleagues on Tuesday, raised concerns about proposed legislation that would turn the state park over to the TdN.

“As a tribal member I was not afforded the information as well,” Fraley said of Assembly Bill 2356, which was authored by San Bernardino Assemblyman James Ramos. “I do think there should be a public engagement process so we can focus on this as an activity of healing. … There needs to be an empathy project for understanding the tragedies that have happened to my people.”

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Articles, Klamath, Tribal Affairs

Search Continues For 23-Year-Old Man Last Seen Near Old Klamath Townsite

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Thumbnail: Brandyon Salazar was last seen heading to the boat ramp at the old Klamath townsite early Sunday morning. | Courtesy of the California Highway Patrol

Yurok Tribal police are leading an investigation into the whereabouts of a 23-year-old man who was last seen heading to the boat ramp at the old Klamath townsite early Sunday morning.

Brandyon Salazar, a Pulikla Tribal member, was with a group of people at the Country Club Bar and Grill on Klamath Boulevard at about 2 a.m. when he drew the attention of law enforcement. According to YTP Chief Greg O’Rourke, Salazar had been drinking and was becoming aggressive, forcing his officer to make a determination to either arrest him for public intoxication or give him a ride home.

Before the officer could take action, however, Salazar fled on foot. O’Rourke said his officer followed Salazar, who had crossed U.S. 101 near Ehlers Avenue, before losing sight of him. Salazar’s family reported him missing later in the morning, the police chief said.

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Articles, Infrastructure, Tribal Affairs

Del Norte County Board of Supervisors Recap, March 24, 2026

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Thumbnail image: The 57-acre “Sand Spit Property” the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation is seeking to acquire. |Image courtesy of the Bureau of Indian Affairs

District 2 Supervisor Valerie Starkey was absent. Among the items discussed at Tuesday’s Del Norte County Board of Supervisors meeting:

Trust Acquisition Opposition: County supervisors approved a letter to the Bureau of Indian Affairs opposing the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation’s efforts to acquire 57 acres of undeveloped land just outside its boundaries in Smith River.

Known as the “Sand Spit Property,” the parcel is located on the south side of the Smith River estuary near the river mouth.

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Agriculture, Articles, Environment, Tribal Affairs

Water Board Scientists Unveil Draft Easter Lily Bulb Order, Public Comment Period Extended

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Thumbnail photo courtesy of Buchio Takano via Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons License.

State water quality scientists unveiled a proposed order they say will lead to a more robust means of monitoring and curtailing pesticide and copper contamination from Easter lily operations in the Smith River plain.

Currently in draft form, the Lily Bulb Order adds to a voluntary framework that growers have participated in since 2021 — which, scientists say, has led to a decrease in pollutants in the area. 

But for conservationists who spoke at a North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board public workshop on Wednesday, the proposed general waste discharge requirements weren’t strong enough. 

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Articles, Brookings, Curry, Economy, Infrastructure, Transportation, Tribal Affairs

US DOT Secures Funding to Keep EAS Service Going Till November; Local Airport Authority Still Assessing ‘Best Options’

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Thumbnail photo courtesy of Andrew Goff

Though the federal government shutdown continues, the U.S. Department of Transportation granted a reprieve that will allow commercial air service in Del Norte County to continue through November.

In a notice Border Coast Regional Airport Authority Director Sean Rosenthal said he received Wednesday morning, the DOT stated that it has secured additional funding to support both the Essential Air Service and Alternative Essential Air Service programs. As a result, air carriers and communities receiving those subsidies must continue to fulfill their obligations “until such time as the Department notifies them otherwise.”

According to the notice, carriers who serve rural communities under the Essential Air Service — including Advanced Air, which flies from Crescent City to Oakland and to Southern California  — will be able to provide service through Nov. 2.

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Elections, In Media Res, Tribal Affairs

‘Voting As One Of The Solutions’; One Yurok Tribal Member’s Take On Candidates Forum

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Thumbnail photo: Candidates for Yurok Tribal Chair from left to right: Edward ‘Horse’ Aubrey, Susan Masten, Jewel Frank, Joseph L. James, Thomas P. O’Rourke Sr., Phillip L. Williams | Courtesy of True North Organizing Network

By Tamara Brooks

Disclaimer: I am a Yurok Tribal member, a Yurok Tribal employee, and a Leader with True North and one of the organizers of this event. All opinions expressed are my own, and not affiliated with any agency, organization, or employment. 

I firmly believe that participation in the process of politics is not just a right that we are afforded but is vital. I have organized a few candidates’ forums, canvassed, volunteered in campaigns, a California poll worker, and am currently a trustee on the Del Norte County Library Board. 

As a family when we got our ballots we would sit around the table and discuss the candidates and the referendums, we would discuss the whys of our vote, and I have continued that tradition with my child: Voting as a family event; voting as an ongoing discussion of what we see to be the challenges and the strengths within the system; and voting as one of the solutions to the ongoing struggles that we see in our community, our tribe, our state, our country. 

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