As we embark on our 4th Year of Calling Back the Salmon, are we becoming a Stage 4 or Stage 5 Tribe?  Contact us with your thoughts...

Another few thoughts on what Tribes are about, and how they can change the world!

Seth Godin Video :  On Tribes We Lead

This area is set aside for newspaper articles, blog posts, or other Calling Back the Salmon words that may appear in printed form. Please send us stories or links that may be of interest to the Calling Back the Salmon ceremony.

Response to Opinion

Recently, a letter writer to The Union stated that nobody need be concerned about exposure to certain toxic materials associated with historic mining activities. This opinion is misleading.  

The Sierra Fund’s report Mining’s Toxic Legacy was written and advised by scientists, professors, medical doctors and policymakers and considers several of these substances including mercury, arsenic, asbestos and acid mine drainage.  The report, including references and advisors, is at: www.sierrafund.org/campaigns/mining.

Mercury, arsenic, asbestos and lead are well-documented to cause cancers, reproductive and developmental disorders, and other serious health threats.  It can take decades, sometimes, for symptoms of chronic, low-level exposure to these toxins to appear.  

As documented in our report, Sierra residents are exposed to low levels of these toxins through everyday activities, but no studies have been done to assess this exposure and how much it is a factor in current health issues.  Since virtually no Sierra medical clinics collect information on a patient’s environmental exposure, it has been difficult to tie health issues to exposure.  

Consequently, The Sierra Fund’s report recommends increased research into the health effects of historic mining toxins, and it is negligent to assume at this point that these substances pose no danger to human health.

For More Information Contact

Mike Thornton. Mining Project Organizer

The Sierra Fund

530-262-7335 (cell)

mike.thornton@sierrafund.org

State Assembly Committee says “Aye” to Suction Dredging Moratorium Bill

SACRAMENTO, 17 JUNE 2009 –After an emotional hearing at the California Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee on Tuesday morning, committee members showed unanimous, bi-partisan support for SB 670 (Wiggins) with a vote of 11-0.  This bill would place a moratorium on recreational suction dredge mining due to the negative effects that this type of hobby mining has on fish, habitat, and the spread of mercury left over from California’s Gold Rush.

Senator Pat Wiggins (D, Santa Rosa) states in SB 670 that “the bill will prohibit suction dredge mining in rivers and streams that provide critical habitat to spawning salmon until [Department of Fish and Game] completes its court-ordered overhaul of regulations governing this recreational activity.” The Senator goes on to state that suction dredging disturbs streambeds, kills fish eggs and immature eels, and churns up mercury left over from the gold mining era. “Our salmon fisheries in particular are in crisis, with salmon fishing banned along the California coast for the second year in a row, affecting the livelihoods of thousands of commercial fishermen and others,” Senator Wiggins says, “while allowing status quo for recreational gold mining.”

The Sierra Fund CEO, Elizabeth “Izzy” Martin testified to the committee that during the Gold Rush, 13 million pounds of mercury were lost into the environment in the course of mining activities, and that suction dredging “explodes this Gold Rush-era mercury like a bag of flour,” greatly increasing the likelihood that said mercury will become toxic methyl-mercury, a potent neurotoxin that is contaminating the State’s fish and endangering the health of the people and wildlife that consume those fish. 

Martin also commented about the many problems associated with the elemental mercury that suction dredge miners publically admit finding, sometimes in large quantities, while mining.  “Current suction dredge permit regulations are silent on the rules regarding handling, storage, transportation and storage of mercury recovered as part of the mining activity. While some miners handle this hazardous material responsibly, we know that some are throwing in the trash, down the toilet, back into the river, or worse, burning it off to find the gold within.  This is an example of how out-dated the regulations really are, and how urgent the case is for reforming those rules based on a rigorous environmental review.”

Opponents of the bill have made numerous unsubstantiated accusations in the past, which continued at Tuesday’s hearing. Under repeated questioning from Legislators, however, suction dredge mining advocates were unable to back up many of their claims, including claims that SB 670 supporters had tried to sabotage funding for the court-mandated California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) environmental review.  

SB 670 now moves to the Assembly Appropriations Committee and then to the full Assembly for a vote.  If passed, it will come to the Governor for his signature or veto. SB 670 is an “Urgency” bill, so if passed with a 2/3^rd’s vote in the Assembly and if signed by the Governor, it will go into effect immediately.  

Mercury Update

The Sierra Fund is happy that the issue of mercury left from historic gold mining in California is finally getting the attention and generating the vigorous debate it deserves. It is important that this debate be based in fact and grounded in science.

There’s been a lot written when it comes to the topic of “suction dredging” and The Sierra’s Fund’s support of a bill (SB 670, sponsored by the Karuk Tribe) that would place a moratorium on this type of ”hobby” mining until a court-mandated and long delayed study of its impacts are reviewed and new regulations developed.  Much of this debate has included direct testimony from miners who, largely unintentionally, prove that rules governing suction dredging need improvement.

In a recent article in The Union (5/22/09 page C1) one suction dredge miner, Mike Leslie, tells reporter Laura Brown “Without rules in place for handling the metal, some throw mercury back in the river or burn it. There are no incentives by land management agencies to collect and dispose of mercury properly... I store it right now until we find out what we’re supposed to do with it”.

We applaud Mr. Leslie’s concerns, and are glad that he agrees there need to be new rules, programs and incentives to handle this problem. Handling mercury from dredging can be not only highly dangerous but also illegal.  This is because mercury is a highly regulated, highly toxic material. 

The California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA) regulates use and disposal of mercury because, according to Cal/EPA, “Mercury is toxic to people. Mercury is a powerful neurotoxin that affects every aspect of brain and nerve function. Mercury is especially dangerous to the developing fetus as it impairs brain development, resulting in lowered intelligence and other brain deficits… Mercury is also toxic to the environment. Bacteria from river and estuary bottom sediments convert mercury into its highly toxic form through a process called “methylation.” This methylated mercury accumulates in aquatic organisms, making the fish from those bodies of water dangerous to eat.”

Alex Breitler of the Stockton Record wrote on May 5^th 2009, “It’s no secret that the Delta is contaminated with mercury, PCBs and pesticides. A new study sampling fish from a fraction of California’s 9000 lakes suggests that most upstream water bodies are also tainted…The biggest culprit is mercury, a poisonous metal that lingers from the Gold Rush era in streams draining from the Sierra Nevada.” (Contaminates in Fish from California Lakes and Reservoirs, www.waterboards.ca.gov/swamp)

Storage, transportation and disposal of mercury are regulated by various state agencies. It is illegal to handle, store, transport or dispose of more than a small amount of mercury without the appropriate license and tools.  Even the smallest mercury spill is considered a toxic release under Prop 65, requiring a hazardous materials clean-up procedure.

Storing mercury in the garage is not only illegal but dangerous. Mercury is instantly fatal when inhaled in its gas form, from accidents such as jars loaded with mercury exploding in a fire.  Nobody wants someone’s child to find a jar of fascinating silver liquid that’s been buried in a garage pour it on a fire to see what happens. 

As Mr. Leslie points out even those miners who have the best of intentions are currently forced to engage in illegal and highly dangerous activities that can put themselves and their families at risk. In repeated statements the pro-dredging community says that there are serious problems with mercury recovery and that they have no guidelines to help them when they want to do the right thing.

It seems fairly obvious that the rules governing suction dredging need to be strengthened. We believe that an immediate moratorium on this historic but dangerous activity is in order until new regulations can be developed.  We think there’s a bigger conversation ahead about how to get as much mercury as possible out of Sierra water bodies, thereby helping to protect human health and the environment, saving millions of dollars in downstream treatment costs and at the same time creating large numbers of good paying “green” jobs cleaning up this “legacy” mercury.

It’s a conversation that we welcome having with the dredging community because we recognize that they have essential skills and experience to offer this process.  We hope that miners will consider this an invitation to talk with us.  Please feel free to contact us at The Sierra Fund, (530) 265-8454 x 10 (Mike Thornton, Mining Project Outreach Coordinator) or visit our website at www.sierrafund.org.

For Immediate Release 

For More Information, Contact:            

Elizabeth "Izzy" Martin

(530) 265-8454 x11 (office)  

(530) 913-1844  (cell)

Senate Natural Resources Committee Passes Bill to Put Moratorium on Suction Dredging for Gold Pending Environmental Review

SACRAMENTO, 28 April 2009 – California's Senate Natural Resources Committee today passed SB 670 (Wiggins) with bi-partisan support, placing a temporary moratorium on the issuance of recreational suction dredge mining permits by the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) until a thorough scientific review of the impacts is completed and regulations are revised. The bill will next go to Senate Appropriations for consideration and approval before going before the full Senate. The bill includes an urgency clause, requiring 2/3 vote to pass in each house, which would result in the law going into effect immediately upon signing by the Governor.

Elizabeth "Izzy" Martin, CEO of The Sierra Fund, testified at the request of Senator Wiggins on the importance of the bill. "In light of the state’s budget crisis, we are concerned that funding for the review and rule-making will be slowed down, and the review could take years. We are also concerned that the well-documented impacts of suction dredging on water quality and endangered species will continue while this environmental review is underway, despite evidence of the harm of suction dredging." 

Suction dredging disturbs fish habitat, putting endangered species such as Coho salmon and green sturgeon at risk. In addition, repeated government studies have shown that suction dredge activities disturb and mobilize the mercury left behind from gold mine operations.

Gold miners in the 19th century used an estimated 26 million pounds of mercury to extract gold from ore in California, with an estimated 13 million pounds lost to the waters and soils of the Sierra Nevada and Trinity Mountains. Suction dredgers often encounter mercury and gold-mercury amalgam, which tend to fall into the cracks of the riverbed like gold. Dredgers collect the mercury and amalgam, and treat it to release any gold that may have amalgamated with the mercury. They then recover the mercury and usually store it, though some miners dispose of it in an unauthorized manner, such as pouring it back into the river, onto the ground, or in to municipal sewer systems. 

Suction dredges re-suspend and “flour” mercury, increasing the surface area and making it more readily available for bacteria to methylate. Methylmercury has been a regulatory concern of the State for years due its known serious effect on human health.  

"The rules that govern this practice are woefully outdated," noted Martin. California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) was ordered by the California courts to undergo a CEQA review and rule change as a result of a lawsuit filed in 2005. The courts ordered DFG to complete the review and make appropriate rule changes by July 2008, but DFG has not met this deadline. 

The Sierra Fund has worked with the state’s leading scientists as part of our Initiative to assess and address the impact of gold mining on our state. Our report, Mining’s Toxic Legacy includes research developed by the US Geological Survey as well as SWRCB on the impacts of suction dredging.

The full text of Mining’s Toxic Legacy with photos of suction dredging activities can be downloaded from The Sierra Fund’s website:  www.sierrafund.org/campaigns/mining

Environmental and Fishing Communities Speak Out on Salmon Crisis

03.05.2009

Salmon recovery plan before U.S. judge

by Matthew Preusch, The Oregonian
Thursday March 05, 2009, 8:53 PM

Attorneys will take their seats Friday morning in a ceremonial court in downtown Portland's federal courthouse. There, they will make their case to the man who, more than anyone, commands the Northwest's multibillion-dollar salmon-recovery effort.

---

03.03.2009

Salmon press conference at ISE drops a few bombshells

The Oroville Mercury-Register
By Steve Carson
January 23, 2009

03.03.2009

As salmon go, so go the killer whales
By Matt Weiser           The Sacramento Bee – 2/18/09

California's degraded rivers and voracious water demand are not just a local problem. They threaten to exterminate a unique 

population of Pacific killer whales, federal scientists have found. Full Article

Media & Press

Media

MEDIA INFORMATION for Calling Back the Salmon to the Yuba River Ceremony

Members of the media are welcome to attend this public event. We ask that you kindly register at the Event Table when you arrive for your press packet and credential and for an orientation on the protocols of the event (including the prohibition on videotaping, recording or photographing any portion of the Salmon Ceremony).

For more information, contact the Calling Back the Salmon media spokespersons:
Michael Ben Ortiz, 530-277-3423 or Izzy Martin, 530-265-8454 x11

OR IMMEDIATE RELEASE…………………………………..SEPTEMBER 22, 2008

CEREMONY AND CELEBRATION HIGHLIGHT
THE 9TH ANNUAL INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAYS

Tribal Members Invite Community To Honor Indigenous History, Culture
Friday, October 10 – Monday, October 13, 2008

For more information: Michael Ben Ortiz, 530-277-3423 or
Joan Buffington, 530-913-6446, joanbuffington@sbcglobal.net,

Nevada City, CA. An ancient Maidu riverside ceremony called “Calling Back the Salmon” and a new outdoor amphitheater are two of the highlights of the upcoming Indigenous Peoples Days.

For a ninth year, hundreds of native and non-native people are expected to gather in and around Nevada City, California on Friday, October 10th through Monday, October 13th, 2008. Members of the local Tsi-Akim Maidu Tribe, and community supporters, invite people to come together to heal the wounds of the past and to celebrate indigenous culture.

Joining the celebration will be several native elders and a variety of tribal musicians and educators, including Native American Music Award winner Keith Secola and elder Fred ‘Coyote’ Downey. Also appearing will be two women’s drum circles - April GoForth and Thoz Womenz. and the Feather River Singers, as well as the Shingle Springs Dancers and the Grass Valley Hula Dancers, and the Walker River Pauite Dancers.

Indigenous Peoples Days are hosted by the Tsi-Akim Maidu Tribe. Community supporters include: KVMR-FM, the South Yuba River Citizens League, the Sierra Fund, the Seventh Generation Fund, the Miners Foundry, the Nevada County Land Trust, Nevada County Indian Education, Native TANF, California State Parks, California Fish and Game, Shingle Springs Rancheria, United Advocates for Children and Families, and Briarpatch Community Coop.

Donations will be accepted at the door on Sunday and Monday. Suggested donation for dinner Monday will be $20, $5 for children and elders. Sunday and Monday will be broadcast live on KVMR Community Radio, 89.5 FM/105.1 FM, and online at kvmr.org.

The weekend is the major annual fundraiser for the Tsi-Akim Maidu Tribe. All participants are volunteers. The four day event is alcohol and drug free, and open to the public. To volunteer, contact Stephanie Lorenson at the Nevada County Land Trust, 530-272-5994. For more information, call the Tsi Akim Tribal office at 530-265-0711 or 274-7497. Or, go online to: www.indigenouspeoplesdays.org, or www.callingbackthesalmon.org.

BACKGROUND

Nine years ago in Nevada City, on what is known as Columbus Day, several local tribal members held a candlelight vigil to honor their ancestors. At the same time, at the KVMR Community Radio studio just blocks away, local radio volunteers organized a day to honor native people. The next year those native and non native people joined forces to produce what has become four full days of healing and celebration.

SCHEDULE 2008

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10th; This year’s event will open on Friday, October 10 at 6 PM with a ceremony to dedicate, to the Maidu people, a milling station (or grinding rock)Maidu ancestors. The opening ceremony will honor those ancestors and the culture that lives on.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER11th: The day opens with the traditional sunrise ceremony near Parks Bar Bridge on the South Yuba River. Spirit Runners will then carry a speared salmon upstream to Bridgeport Crossing of the Yuba River, where an elder will perform the traditional renewal ceremony known as “Calling Back the Salmon,” Before the arrival of the salmon, speakers will focus on the importance of salmon. Following the ceremony will be a feast of wild salmon.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12th: At MACC, the Maidu Active Cultural Center at Burton Park, 16200 Lake Vera Road, outside Nevada City, 11 AM to 6 PM, the public is invited to a day of celebration, with dancing drumming, food and healing. The public can explore a traditional Bark House, located on land that once was a Maidu village. Ethnic dancers and singers will perform in the woods at a new outdoor amphitheater.

Guests include: Rasa Em Movimento (Brasilian Capoeria), the Feather River Singers, and Maori and Sammoan body workers. Wes Jim and the Pauite Dancers will offer songs of the Ghost Dance. Some guests will also be onstage Sunday and Monday.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 13th: At the Miners Foundry, Nevaa City, at 9:30 AM the public is invited to a day of discussion and celebration. From 9:30 AM to noon the focus will be on children’s activities. Young people will hear storytelling, traditional singing and drumming. Teachers are asked to register for this morning.

From 12 noon to 5 PM, a series of panels will focus on key issues, including: the problem of “Mercury in Our Water, Our Land, and Our Bodies, ““Healing Soul Wounds” of the Gold Rush and beyond, and an Elders Circle. Onstage throughout the afternoon will be April GoForth and a women’s drum circle, Thoz Womenz.

The annual he Richard Prout Memorial Dinner, dedicated to the late chair of the Todds Valley - Colfax Consolodated Trbe, begins at 5 PM at Miners Foundry.The feast of wild salmon, wild elk and buffalo stew, and other traditional foods closes the four day event.

Yuba River Citizens League, the Sierra Fund, the Seventh Generation Fund, the Miners Foundry, the Nevada County Land Trust, Nevada County Indian Education, Sierra Nevada Deep Ecology Institute, Native TANF, California State Parks, California Fish and Game, Shingle Springs Rancheria, Michael Funk, and Briarpatch Community Coop.

Donations will be accepted at the door on Sunday and Monday. Suggested donation for dinner Monday will be $20, $5 for children and elders. The weekend is the major annual fundraiser for the Tsi-Akim Maidu Tribe. All participants are volunteers. The four day event is alcohol and drug free, and open to the public.

Volunteers are invited to help with this event. Volunteers can contact Stephanie Lorenson at the Nevada County Land Trust, 530-272-5994. For more information, call the Tsi Akim Tribal office at 530-265-0711 or 274-7497. Or, go online to: www.indigenouspeoplesdays.org, or www.callingbackthecalmon.org.

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BACKGROUND

Nine years ago in Nevada City, on what is known as Columbus Day, several local tribal members held a candlelight vigil to honor their ancestors. At the same time, at the KVMR Community Radio studio just blocks away, local radio volunteers organized a day to honor native people. The next year those native and non native people joined forces to produce what has become four full days of healing and celebration.

SCHEDULE 2008

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10th; This year’s event will open on Friday, October 10 at 6 PM with a ceremony to dedicate, to the Maidu people, a milling station (or grinding rock)Maidu ancestors. The opening ceremony will honor those ancestors and the culture that lives on.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER11th: The day opens with the traditional sunrise ceremony near Parks Bar Bridge on the South Yuba River. Spirit Runners will then carry a speared salmon upstream to Bridgeport Crossing of the Yuba River, where an elder will perform the traditional renewal ceremony known as “Calling Back the Salmon,” Before the arrival of the salmon, speakers will focus on the importance of salmon. Following the ceremony will be a feast of wild salmon.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12th: At MACC, the Maidu Active Cultural Center at Burton Park, 16200 Lake Vera Road, outside Nevada City, 11 AM to 6 PM, the public is invited to a day of celebration, with dancing drumming, food and healing. The public can explore a traditional Bark House, located on land that once was a Maidu village. Ethnic dancers and singers will perform in the woods at a new outdoor amphitheater.

Guests include: Rasa Em Movimento (Brasilian Capoeria), the Feather River Singers, and Maori and Sammoan body workers. Wes Jim and the Pauite Dancers will offer songs of the Ghost Dance. Some guests will also be onstage Sunday and Monday.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 13th: At the Miners Foundry, Nevaa City, at 9:30 AM the public is invited to a day of discussion and celebration. From 9:30 AM to noon the focus will be on children’s activities. Young people will hear storytelling, traditional singing and drumming. Teachers are asked to register for this morning.

From 12 noon to 5 PM, a series of panels will focus on key issues, including: the problem of “Mercury in Our Water, Our Land, and Our Bodies, ““Healing Soul Wounds” of the Gold Rush and beyond, and an Elders Circle. Onstage throughout the afternoon will be April GoForth and a women’s drum circle, Thoz Womenz.

The annual he Richard Prout Memorial Dinner, dedicated to the late chair of the Todds Valley - Colfax Consolodated Trbe, begins at 5 PM at Miners Foundry.The feast of wild salmon, wild elk and buffalo stew, and other traditional foods closes the four day event.

Yuba River Citizens League, the Sierra Fund, the Seventh Generation Fund, the Miners Foundry, the Nevada County Land Trust, Nevada County Indian Education, Sierra Nevada Deep Ecology Institute, Native TANF, California State Parks, California Fish and Game, Shingle Springs Rancheria, Michael Funk, and Briarpatch Community Coop.

Donations will be accepted at the door on Sunday and Monday. Suggested donation for dinner Monday will be $20, $5 for children and elders. The weekend is the major annual fundraiser for the Tsi-Akim Maidu Tribe. All participants are volunteers. The four day event is alcohol and drug free, and open to the public.

Volunteers are invited to help with this event. Volunteers can contact Stephanie Lorenson at the Nevada County Land Trust, 530-272-5994. For more information, call the Tsi Akim Tribal office at 530-265-0711 or 274-7497. Or, go online to: www.indigenouspeoplesdays.org, or www.callingbackthecalmon.org.