Cultural Preservation

At daybreak on Indigenous People’s Day 2019, in commemoration of 50th anniversary of the 1969 Occupation of Alcatraz, the Bay Area indigenous community hosted the first-ever canoe trip around the island. Starting from the Aquatic Park Historic District, the flotilla of canoes were powered by communities and families from across the West Coast. Each canoe and person therein carried forward the legacy of the Occupation for a new generation.

The indigenous Ohlone people were the first to live, steward, and walk in the coastal hills and scrubland of San Mateo County and the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Read about the legacy of their stewardship and the evolving relationship between indigenous people and the parks.

Standing at Fort Point, surrounded by these totems, was a reminder of our weekly community volunteer programs where we are hoping to create a space to honor native people, and all the migrant cultures that represent the Bay Area.

Each day I spend with my peers at the Parks Conservancy, and with our passionate and vital cast of volunteers, I endeavor to remember the people who shaped, shared and enshrined these lands and waters.