Letter from Chairman Lopez

Dear Friends,

This spring equinox signifies the start of spring and it is a time for new beginnings, a time of renewal and a time to restore balance to Mother Earth. This year’s equinox is particularly significant because it is a time when we will welcome a new Executive Director, present our strategic plan to the public and welcome back our stewards who have been on hiatus since Covid.

A Time for New Beginnings

Our new Executive Director is Noelle Chambers. Noelle has worked for the Peninsula Open Space Trust for 20 years and will bring to AMLT her years of experience in land stewardship and acquisition, conservation science, program development and organizational management. Over the years Noelle and I have had many conversations about traditional Indigenous land stewardship, Indigenous science, the importance of our Tribal members restoring relationship with Mother Earth, and the importance of restoring sacredness to the landscapes. Noelle has already begun talking to our program managers to understand the importance of traditional stewardship practices and approaches such as cultural burning, restoring native plants, and cultural resource research and protection. We have no doubt that she understands the importance of Indigenous science, has great respect for our Mutsun culture and understands the importance of healing for both our Tribe and non-Tribal institutions and communities. I am confident that she will ensure the success of our Land Trust. Please join us in welcoming Noelle to the Amah Mutsun Land Trust.

Prior to hiring a new Executive Director, it was important for us to develop a new strategic plan, as we had completed our first strategic plan in 2019. This work was done in early 2024 and was presented as a Strategic Framework. Now we are developing this framework into a public facing document which will be shared with the public in May. The completion of this Strategic Framework provides Noelle with a good understanding of how our Land Trust is working to take care of the environment, centering our Tribe’s culture and wellbeing on the ways of our ancestors, and finding a path for our tribe’s economy through work and education. Together, our newly appointed leader and newly developed Strategic Plan will bring AMLT into its next chapter.

A Time for Renewal

It is abundantly clear that this Spring, AMLT is entering a period of renewal. In this fashion, we are also creating time for renewal within the existing staff and organization: From April 14th to April 17th, AMLT is sponsoring an event that we are calling “hatuhtre makke amuypu,” “Gathering to teach ourselves.” This event will be attended by all AMLT Staff. Board Members and other members of the AMLT community have also been invited to attend the gathering as much as they are able. AMLT is working with the Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley and a team of three international Native American experts on wellness, resiliency and the impacts of historical trauma on Indigenous communities. This program is often referred to as a GONA, Gathering of Native Americans.

The key components of our gathering will be:

Belonging: “To create an open, safe, and trusting environment addressing common goals.”
Mastery: “Review how historical trauma impacts our communities and what fosters our resilience and holds us together.”
Interdependence: “Begin the planning process to assess resources and relationships, and to experience and strengthen interconnectedness.”
Generosity: “To recognize as one of the highest values of many Native American cultures the importance of giving back to others and to the community. To honor the important role of teachers and elders who share knowledge with our future generations.”

A Time to Restore Balance

Finally, Spring is a time to restore balance: This Spring, we have been focused on relaunching our Native Stewardship Program. In the coming weeks AMLT will be hiring a new cohort of Native Stewards from within our Tribe. Some of these stewards would have worked for our Tribe in the past, some as Stewards, Native Monitors, or in our Native Plant Program. Being a Native Steward in our Tribe is a great responsibility. It is a position well respected within our Tribe and in the past we have held ceremonies to honor their hard work. The stewards are the ones who must relearn the knowledge and practices of the past so our Tribe can fulfill our obligation to Creator. The work involves restoring traditional landscapes by stewarding and developing relationships with the land. Stewards must develop relationships with the coast, the mountains, plants, streams and rivers, the animals, fish, insects and birds. They steward the landscapes and the plant and animal relatives within it by restoring native plants, removing invasive species, and bringing back cultural burns. This is how our Stewards restore sacredness to the land. Being a Steward also involves protecting sacred and cultural sites including traditional trade routes, wildlife corridors, and bedrock mortars. This year our Native Stewards will also participate in cultural relearning activities that will give them the knowledge they need to walk the path of our ancestors. We look forward to welcoming these new Stewards.

I often refer to our tribe’s sacred obligation to Creator to take care of Mother Earth and all living things. One way we are working to fulfill this obligation is through our tribal land trust. It is important that our land trust remains sustainable and successful until the last sunrise. With so much renewal and blossoming change, I am optimistic that we are on the correct path. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all the support this community gives the land trust. We look forward to walking this path into our next chapter together.

saaremi – (with my prayers),

Valentin Lopez

Chair, Amah Mutsun Tribal Band

President, Amah Mutsun Land Trust

Get to know our new Executive Director in our Q&A with Noelle Chambers, click here to read.