The Obligation to Steward Land
Land Acknowledgment
Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy’s mission is to preserve and restore natural habitat in and around the San Gabriel and Crescenta Valleys. We do this with an understanding that the lands we steward lie within a constellation of Indigenous village homelands whose people cared for and shaped these foothills, canyons, and watersheds since time immemorial. These include Hahamog’na and Jajamonga in the upper Arroyo Seco; Alyeupkigna in the Millard and El Prieto canyon foothills; Shevaanga/Siba’anga in the Eaton Canyon watershed; Wikangna in the Crescenta Valley; and Tujunga (Tuxuúnga/Tuhuunga) along the Big Tujunga corridor. We also acknowledge Yabit (Yaabit/Yavitam), whose people held and continue to hold longstanding ties across the Verdugo and San Rafael Hills.
Our region is also interwoven through ongoing kinship, marriage, exchange, and shared governance with the communities of Topisabit/Tobisabit/Tobikhar, Guaspet, and Guaschna, whose descendants maintain deep relationships across the Arroyo Seco, Eaton Canyon, Verdugo Mountains, and the wider San Gabriel Valley.
The work AFC does is within a larger context of systemic dispossession, displacement, and forced assimilation of Native people. These harms are not relics of the past, but continue through ongoing inequities in land access, environmental burden, and the lasting impacts of colonial systems. With this knowledge, we strive to restore these landscapes while uplifting, listening to, and collaborating with Indigenous communities.
The obligation to steward land is an unspoken covenant—one that the First Peoples understood innately. AFC considers upholding and advocating for that obligation an essential part of our work.
Discovering AFC's Obligation
GOING BEYOND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
AFC’s staff dedicated a series of meetings to discuss how we might go about a land acknowledgement and ultimately came to the collective belief that, while land acknowledgements are important, on their own they are not enough. Since our founding, we have recognized the devastating effects of rapid urbanization and worked to save habitat for wildlife. However, as a land owning entity, we know our obligation to be responsible stewards extends to human communities, alongside the wildlife and plant species we work to protect. We understand ourselves as the latest stewards in a continuum of care. One that stretches back thousands of years to the First Peoples of this land and will continue for generations to come.
How We Work to Fulfill that Obligation
collaboration & education
We are committed to supporting our Indigenous community members through collaborations, by providing resources, and in continually educating ourselves and others.Â
- Working with native culture bearers, we’ve developed educational materials, including videos on Native Californian Stewardship entitled E’kwa’shem (We’re Still Here) and traditional Tongva storytelling.
- With Indigenous collaborators, we’ve created guides on Native Plants and Native Birds, which highlight Indigenous names and relationships with wildlife and plants. We use these to educate youth and community members during our field trips and community education events.Â
- AFC’s exhibit Living in a Wildlife Corridor, hosted at Descanso Gardens in 2023, was developed under the guidance of Indigenous community members with parts of it created by members, and highlighted Traditional Ecological Knowledge.Â
- When AFC participated in Glendale’s public revisioning of the Verdugo Wash to create multiple benefits to the community, we introduced the Gabrielino-Tongva Tribal Council to the opportunity to be heard. Their extensive report was adopted, better positioning them to have their practices and uses realized in future projects. We commit to utilizing our privilege of being included in political and legislative spaces by always advocating for the inclusion and respect of Indigenous voices.
- Traditional Ecological Knowledge informs our field trip curriculum, wherein we partner with Indigenous culture bearers who share their stewardship knowledge and cultural connection with nature with local youth.
- We aim to actively engage with local Native communities by participating in ongoing dialogues about their evolving desires, identities, and resource needs, recognizing that these elements are dynamic and change as conversations progress.Â
We pursue these efforts to raise awareness, spread education, cultivate meaningful relationships with Indigenous community members, and further center and amplify their voices. We commit to continue nurturing these partnerships and exploring other opportunities for co-conservation.Â
In addition to partnering with Native Peoples, we are committed to restoring all of the land we steward to native habitat. We do this by:
- Removing invasive species.
- Cultivating the land for local native plants to reestablish themselves.
- Propagating local natives plant species as appropriate.
- Tending to the land to promote ecosystem balance and halt the loss of, preserve, and enhance biodiversity.
- Creating corridors of native habitat to serve wildlife species of all kinds, from small pollinators to apex predators.
This restores and protects wildlife’s freedom of movement, promotes genetic diversity and health, maintains range sizes and access to food, water, and mates, and creates safe passages within our urban environment.
If you identify as a member of a local Indigenous community and would like to connect or collaborate, please email us at info@arroyosfoothills.org.Â
How do you understand your obligation to the land?
discover your role
Whether you help restore natural habitat, advocate for the rights of Indigenous peoples, animals, and plants, give financially, or help educate, you play an essential role in our collective obligation to care for land and wildlife. We encourage you to discover yours. Here are some places you can begin:
Education:Â
- Learn the names and history of the Indigenous peoples of the area you live:
- Learn about current Indigenous rights movements happening in your community, and how you can become involved:
- Learn about your wild neighbors and how you can respectfully share the urban environment with them:
- Read and follow on social media Indigenous writers, artists, activists, and journalists.
- Connect to nature by exploring the beautiful land of our region; take hikes, spend time outside, learn the names of local flora and fauna.
Restoration:
- Support our local ecology by planting native plants:
- Protect native wildlife by ending rodenticide use:
- Make a difference in the exploitation of White Sage by boycotting wild-sourced sage products, purchasing it only from Native owned and ethically collected sources, or growing your own.
- Attend a local stewardship day at a preserve, park, or community garden.
Financial:
- Support Native-led organizations and conservancies:
- Purchase from Native owned businesses