Grant will teach Tuolumne tribal youth about managing fire, growing food and more
Young tribal members in Tuolumne County will learn land management through a $2.4 million grant from the California Conservation Corps.
It will fund three years of training for 25 youths in the Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians. They will grow fruits and vegetables in a community garden and nurture ancestral plants. They also will train for firefighting, including the age-old practice of intentional burning to reduce forest fuels.
This was one of five awards totaling $10 million from the Tribal Nature-Based Solutions Conservation Corps Grant Program. They were announced at a July 17 gathering on Me-Wuk land about eight miles east of Sonora.
“These grants can make a long-lasting impact on promoting conservation to Native American youth and particularly on their ancestral lands,” CCC Director Bruce Saito said in a news release.
The agency trains young people for work around the state in disaster response, trail maintenance, forest restoration and other tasks.
The Tuolumne Band provides health, fire and other services to members and operates the Black Oak Casino Resort. The public can learn more about the culture at the annual Acorn Festival on Sept. 9 and 10.
The Union Democrat’s account of the grant announcement featured 15-year-old tribal member Violet Millis, who hopes to be a firefighter.
“I think it’s really cool to try to help out with the wilderness, to try to keep it healthy so it doesn’t burn up,” she said.
The other CCC grants:
- $3 million to the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, located in the Lake Tahoe area
- $2.16 million to the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, Los Angeles County
- $1.63 million to the Bishop Paiute Tribe, Inyo County
- $801,000 to the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation, Del Norte County.
