Photos: mak-warép Ohlone Land Conservancy
Led by the mak-warép Ohlone Land Conservancy at the tuuštak Ecocultural Garden
By Kimberly Hawkins, Senior News and Media Manager/PIO, Cal State East Bay
On Saturday, June 6, the mak-warép Ohlone Land Conservancy, in partnership with Cal State East Bay, Concord Center, CAL FIRE, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District and the Contra Costa Resource Conservation District (CCRCD), will conduct a ceremonial cultural burn of less than one acre at the Cal State East Bay Concord Center.
This event continues the restoration of Indigenous-led fire practices in the East Bay, reaffirming cultural traditions and supporting ecological health on Ohlone homelands. The project is designed to reduce invasive grasses, improve soil health and restore native plants important for food, medicine and basketry.
100 Acres at the tuuštak Ecocultural Garden at Cal State East Bay in čupkan/Concord
According to the mak-warép Ohlone Land Conservancy website, “We restore and steward 100 acres of oak woodland, highland chaparrel and the Gallindo Creek riparian corridor at the base of our most sacred mountain, tuuštak—Mt. Diablo.
“In this beautiful place, mak-warép Ohlone Land Conservancy works in partnership with Cal State East Bay Concord and our dear friends from Terremoto Landscape to restore a landscape that teaches of the abundance of the East Bay while actively repairing former cattle-grazed landscape for the benefit of all those living on this land.
“Here, we implemented our first cultural burn in at least two generations, with seasonal burns to come every year, paired with constant monitoring of the soil for the benefit of the landscape to alleviate overgrowth that leads to wildfires and to encourage constant regeneration of the plants that do best here.
“’It’s a way of giving back to the land,’ Auntie Dottie, 95, told us while she was there for our first renewed burn in generations.”
What to Expect
- Smoke may be visible near the CSU East Bay Concord Center (4700 Ygnacio Valley Road) between 9:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., weather and air quality permitting.
- The invitation-only event begins with a private Ohlone ceremony, followed by a controlled cultural burnled by Ohlone firekeepers under cultural protocols.
- Fire personnel and equipment from CAL FIRE and Contra Costa County Firewill be on-site throughout the day.
- The project will only proceed on a permissive burn day, as determined by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD).
Safety Measures
- Public safety is the highest priority. The burn will be conducted under a strict, approved burn plan that considers fire behavior and weather conditions.
- Fire breaks, water supply and suppression equipment will be established on-site.
- Crews will remain until the fire perimeter is fully secured and declared out.
- The burn will not proceed if wind, humidity, or other conditions make it unsafe.
Air Quality Compliance
This project qualifies as a ceremonial fire under BAAQMD Regulation 5. It is exempt from open burn notification and fees, with the only condition being that the burn will not proceed on a Mandatory Burn Ban (Spare the Air Alert) day.
Public Information
For updates on the burn, please visit:
About the mak-warép Ohlone Land Conservancy
The mak-warép Ohlone Land Conservancy works to reacquire, restore, and steward Ohlone ancestral lands through Indigenous-led ecological restoration, hyper-localized land management, and the practice and transmission of traditional culture. Our work strengthens Ohlone relationships to land, supports access to traditional foods, medicines, and basketry materials, and engages the public in understanding Ohlone history, culture, and place-based knowledge. For more information visit www.ohloneland.com.
Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.
