 Fred Collins
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Effects of Bad Consultation With the Chumash in the City of Morro Bay
by Fred Collins
In the City of Morro Bay over the last 50 years the abuse of Chumash Sacred Places has been traumatic, the loss of sacred sites and ceremonial places has been devastating.
The City of Morro Bay was built on, around, and near the Chumash Village of Chicqwat'. The beautiful and peaceful village of Chicqwat' has been broken apart, chopped up, built upon, dug up, had sewer plants built upon, had Chumash cemeteries built upon, and displaced the Chumash native peoples. If one were to go back and look at all the houses, buildings, stores, businesses, refineries, power plants, highways, roads, trails, sacred Rocks, places of ceremony, and places of traditional gathering, they would find that the Chumash have been disgracefully abused in the land use process of the City of Morro Bay. Now, once again the wheels of disrespect are grinding out their words of abuse and destruction, for the new "Number One" prospect for the proposed waste water treatment facility.
Recently, consultants hired by the City have teamed up to do an evaluation on the potential sites for the proposed new wastewater treatment facility for the City of Morro Bay. In the first community workshop for the wastewater treatment facility new location fact-finding process, there were several sites mentioned and proposed. I was present representing NCTC, I spoke too many of the proposed sites, with comments.
In this first meeting we found out that Mr. Rickenbach had interviewed many stakeholders, but had not interviewed the Chumash, and we are one of the most important stakeholders. What was most disturbing was what came out of the first workshop meeting — a proposed site that was not discussed in the first meeting, the Morro Bay Power Plant site. More specifically, the southern end of the power plant, the most sensitive portion of the Sacred Village site of Chicqwat', the cemetery, the resting place of my ancestors. Out of the blue this site turns out to be the most economically feasible of all the proposed sites.
Without talking to the Chumash, without looking into the constraints, without looking into the Conservation Easement that we have protecting this area — the evaluated data makes this site the most economical spot for the new City of Morro Bay's waste water treatment facility. The number one choice, the best spot to place the facility, on top of a Chumash Sacred Burial Grounds. The Northern Chumash Tribal Council is recommending that the City of Morro Bay should not spend any amount of time even discussing this Sacred Chumash Cemetery Scared Place for the placement of the waste water treatment facility.
The City of Morro Bay needs to give new direction and stop this destructive, non-communicative way of doing business with the Chumash. We need to be involved, as a stakeholder, with meaningful consultation. We all have to care about things more than just money. The future generations are our responsibility, leaving the planet in better shape than when we came, cleaning up our messes, giving equal caring for all voices, all races and their ability to share in the preservation of Mother Earth for the future generations to come, to protect our sacred resources, broaden the connectivity and the horizons of life we care for.
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