Nature’s Inspiration

Our 17th annual fundraiser, Nature’s Inspiration, is going to be different this year and we are ready for a celebration that lives up to its name.

On Sunday, September 27 from 5-6:30pm we will be hosting an entirely new virtual version of Nature’s Inspiration will capture the excitement and spirit of our traditional annual celebration while protecting the health and wellbeing of our community during this COVID-19 health crisis.

Our community and the local natural landscapes, farmlands, and parks we protect together are reasons to celebrate—even more so in this difficult time. We continue to be committed to celebrating those who have dedicated their lives to protecting the natural environment and connecting people to the outdoors.

Join this community celebration and enjoy live musical performances from famed musicians including Grammy Award-winning Ozomatli, guest appearances by prominent local leaders, and with a sponsorship or $150 ticket purchase receive a delicious pie from Pescadero’s Pie Ranch or San Jose’s The Giving Pies. We are also offering entirely new sponsor benefits including a doorstop visit from a board or staff member to deliver a care package to help you enjoy the event from home.

Our Nature’s Inspiration honoree is Valentin Lopez, the highly respected Chairman of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band. We celebrate Chairman Lopez’ exemplary leadership of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band since 2003. We applaud his tireless dedication to bringing international awareness to the plight of Indigenous peoples and advocacy for environmental stewardship of sacred land.

Valentin Lopez has served as Chair of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band since 2003, and the President of the Amah Mutsun Land Trust since its inception. Chairman Lopez is a Native American Advisor to the University of California, Office of the President on issues related to repatriation. He is also a Native American Advisor to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology.

Chairman Lopez has dedicated himself to restoring tribal Indigenous knowledge and ensuring Amah Mutsun history is accurately told. Since 2017, we have worked in solidarity with Val and the Amah Mutsun tribe to protect Juristac, a sacred site and major wildlife corridor in Santa Clara County, from a sand and gravel mine.

“Chairman Lopez and the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band have been crucial partners in our work to protect Juristac, a sacred Native American site and 6,400-acre major wildlife corridor in Santa Clara County, from a sand and gravel mine,” said Alice Kaufman, Legislative Advocacy Director. “Chairman Lopez has a deep and heartfelt commitment to the natural world, to the plants and animals and the wide-open spaces in this region. We’re honored to be partnering with them in this work.” 

The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band is composed of approximately 600 people who are direct descendants of several Mutsun-speaking tribal groups dispersed to the San Juan Bautista and Santa Cruz missions. The Amah Mutsun Land Trust, established in 2013, is the vehicle by which the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band is returning to the lands, knowledge, and practices of their ancestors. The Amah Mutsun Tribe’s vision is one that will ring true for many Green Foothills supporters: “a future where our people and all people may once again drink safely from clean and clear flowing waters; hunt from healthy herds of elk and deer; harvest salmon and abalone from resilient fisheries; behold and pray to a self-sustaining population of condors and eagles soaring the ridges and valleys; witness the sky darken with geese rising off our healthy lakes and wetlands; rest assured that those who have passed may rest in peace; and know our connection to land because we live connected to the land.”

Every sponsorship and ticket sale will include an optional financial gift to the Amah Mutsun Land Trust’s Native Stewardship Corps intern program for tribal youth. Through this summer program, high school and college age tribal youth are provided healthy employment, working work side by side with their older cousins to study the Amah Mutsun language, culture, and ceremony as well as traditional ethnobotany. It is a great way to introduce younger tribe members to the Land Trust while also providing exposure to a variety of career and academic paths.

We are honored to celebrate Chairman Lopez’s exemplary leadership as the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band Chairman and his dedication to bringing international awareness to the plight of Indigenous peoples and advocacy for environmental stewardship of sacred land. Indigenous peoples are a part of our diverse community and among the strongest, most powerful, and most effective allies for the environmental movement.

Over 300 of our members and supporters joined us on September 22nd at Wickett Ranch to celebrate our 57-year legacy in honor of inspirational environmental advocate Joseph W. Cotchett. We look forward to seeing you all again in 2020!

Questions? For additional information about Nature’s Inspiration, please contact Justyne Schnupp (650.968.7243 x340, [email protected]).