Press Release – Announcing Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument

Press Statement

For Immediate Release

January 13, 2017

Contact:           Valentin Lopez, Chairman

Amah Mutsun Tribal Band

916-743-5833

Amah Mutsun Tribal Band celebrates the proclamation by President Obama to establish Cotoni-Coast Diaries as a National Monument

On behalf of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band we wish to thank President Obama for expanding the California Coastal National Monument.  By designating the Cotoni-Coast Dairies as a National Monument we can be sure that the many cultural, spiritual and natural resources of this area will be protected in perpetuity.

“This is a historic day for Cotoni and Amah Mutsun descendants. The lands of Cotoni-Coast Dairies are culturally significant to our Tribe as these were lands occupied by our Cotoni ancestors for thousands of years. They raised their families and tended the land that provided so richly for them and all living things. Our creation story tells us that Creator very specifically selected our people to live on these lands and gave us the responsibility to care for Mother Earth. National Monument status will help facilitate the preservation and continuity of our Mutsun heritage and will protect and conserve the beauty and spirit of this sacred land for all future generations. We thank all those who supported this effort.” said Amah Mutsun Tribal Band Chairman Valentin Lopez.

This action by President Obama will protect and preserve significant cultural resources and provide assurance that the traditional ceremonies and cultural practices of the Awaswas and Mutsun speakers will continue in our traditional tribal territory. This designation will also provide opportunity for our tribe to access, steward, tend and gather the native plants that are so important to our culture and to a healthy local natural environment.

“The great work by Sempervirens Fund, Conservation Lands Foundation, and many others to establish this new monument demonstrates that Cotoni-Coast Dairies lands, rich in biodiversity, healthy forests and watersheds, mean as much to modern Americans as they do to the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band. With our partners, through the recently established Amah Mutsun Land Trust, we look forward to sharing the meaning and importance of traditional Native land stewardship with visitors to Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument and with the general public.” said EkOngKar Singh Khalsa, Executive Director, Amah Mutsun Land Trust

suruuruy yuu tumsan-ak kannis, (blessings and thank you,)

Ho!