Eco-Archaeology and Environmental Stewardship in the Santa Cruz Mountains

ONLINE SPEAKER EVENT: Alec Apodaca (PhD Candidate, UC Berkeley) on “Eco-Archaeology and Environmental Stewardship in the Santa Cruz Mountains".

DATE: Thursday, May 12, 2022
TIME: 7:00 – 8:00 PM (Pacific)

** RSVP by 6:00 PM on May 12** RESERVATION ONLY & SPACE LIMITED, WITH PREFERENCE TO CURRENT SCAS MEMBERS. PLEASE NOTE: This meeting will take place online using Zoom

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Wildfires are a global problem and Santa Cruz knows them all too well – but how is local archaeology helping? An emerging science in this effort to understand why California is experiencing severe and frequent megafires is coming from archaeological research. The findings from years of collaborative eco-archaeology between UC Berkeley (UCB) and the Amah Mutsun Land Trust (AMLT) are being used today in Native-led cultural revitalization projects around Santa Cruz. Let’s take a look at one way archaeologists at UCB and the Native Stewardship Corps with the AMLT are using historical evidence to identify which areas in cultural landscapes are most suitable to reintroduce indigenous prescribed burning as a way to increase the health, resilience, and biodiversity of ecosystems threatened by megafires.

Alec Apodaca is a Ph.D. candidate in the Anthropology Department at UC Berkeley. He is an environmental archaeologist doing dissertation research on indigenous prescribed burning and subsistence patterns at upland village sites in the Santa Cruz Mountains. He obtained his B.A at UC Santa Cruz and also has experience in consulting archaeology.

Alexii Sigona is a Ph.D. candidate in the Environmental Science and Policy Management Department at UC Berkeley and member of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band. His research examines tribal food and land sovereignty in the areas around Missions Santa Cruz and San Juan Bautista. He obtained his B.A. at the University of San Francisco and is also part of the AMLT’s Native Stewardship Corps.

Unfortunately, Alexii will not be able to join us for this presentation, but Mr. Apodaca will be presenting their joint research.