NCTC Chumash Sanctuary Campaign Update - Out in the Community

Chair Violet Sage Walker Honored with Sanctuary Wavemaker Award!

The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation is giving the Sanctuary Wavemaker Award to Chair Violet Sage Walker & Chief Fred Collins at this year’s Capitol Hill Ocean Week (CHOW)! 

Chair Walker will receive the award with special recognition for her father, the late Chief Fred Collins, as part of the Ocean Awards Gala for CHOW, the nation’s premiere ocean conference during World Ocean Month. The annual Gala recognizes champions of marine and Great Lakes stewardship, and will be taking place on June 4th in Washington, D.C.

Congratulations Chair Violet Sage Walker! A much deserved recognition for her and her father’s work on the proposed Chumash Sanctuary campaign

“My father, Chief Fred Collins, always said that we can and must do better, for Mother Earth, for the animals, and for each other. His dream of the Chumash Sanctuary is an important opportunity to do that. The Chumash Sanctuary is my father’s legacy and is a vital step in working towards his dream of a thriving future for all. It is an honor to receive the Wavemaker Award together and to carry his legacy of the Chumash Sanctuary forward.”

- Chair Violet Sage Walker

As we step into spring, the Northern Chumash Tribal Council is working to keep the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary on timeline. We are quickly approaching the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration’s mid-2024 target for the Chumash Sanctuary designation, but there’s still work to be done to ensure that the sanctuary is designated and over the finish line! 

The Northern Chumash Tribal Council Team is keeping the proposed Chumash Sanctuary in the limelight with outreach events and conferences.

Our team member Gianna attended an Effective Advocacy for Ocean, Coasts and Fisheries Campaigns workshop in Sacramento, CA and provided testimony to the California Senate about the Chumash Sanctuary.

Team members Mike Khus-zarate and PJ Webb joined the America the Beautiful for All Coalition's DC Fly In to advocate for ocean protection, environmental justice, and Tribal collaborative management in tandem with emphasizing the need to designate the Chumash Sanctuary as soon as possible.

Chumash Sanctuary at SLO Beaver Brigade’s second annual SLO Beaver Festival! We held a collaborative booth with the Santa Lucia Chapter of the Sierra Club and enjoyed conversations with community members and long-time supporters!

 Thank you all for your support in this final stretch towards Sanctuary designation!