Casino profits help fight development of ancestal land
By Mary Lynne Vellinga -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST
Jessica Tavares recalls with awe her visit to Clover Valley in Rocklin,
an oak-studded glen that holds the detritus of at least 4,000 years of
American Indian life.
"I've never been anyplace like that," said the 55-year-old chairwoman
of the United Auburn Indian Community. "It was like finding Moses' ark
(of the covenant)."
Until recently, Tavares hadn't even heard of the years-long fight over
planned development of the northern portion of Clover Valley, a stretch
of forests and wetlands largely hidden amid Rocklin's tract
homes.
Now, armed with riches from its new casino outside Lincoln, Tavares'
tribe has emerged as a powerful player in the effort to stop the valley
from becoming the backdrop for hundreds of upscale houses.
The tribe recently pledged $40,000 to the Clover Valley Foundation, a
group of environmentalists and residents working to prevent development
on the 622-acre property. In addition, the tribe's public relations
consultant will help the volunteer foundation with its outreach
campaign.
"It's kind of a dream come true," foundation board member Elaine
O'Deegan said of the tribe's contribution, the largest the foundation
has received.
Because the developer does not allow public access to Clover Valley
(the dirt road leading in is plastered with "No Trespassing" signs),
residents know little about why it's worth saving, she said. The money
from the tribe will be used to conduct a public outreach
campaign.
Clover Valley is part of a swath of territory once occupied by the
Nisenan, a branch of the Maidu people. Tavares' Auburn tribe, made up
of a combination of Maidu and Miwok members, traces its roots in part
to the Nisenan.
Clover Valley encompasses 33 Indian dwellings, work areas and burial
sites, a number of them dating from 2000 B.C., according to a
consultant's report commissioned by the property owners.
These include four burial sites, mortar rocks where Indians used
pestles to grind acorns, and artifacts such as tools and arrowheads and
spearheads.
"We want it preserved in its natural state," Tavares said. "How would
you guys feel if we paved over your cemeteries? These are our
ancestors."
If need be, Tavares said, the Auburn tribe would consider buying the
land, on which 689 houses are planned.
The tribe's involvement in the fight over Clover Valley is the latest
example of growing cooperation between tribes and environmental groups.
Tribes seeking to build casinos and accompanying hotels often encounter
their own opposition from environmentalists, but there are times when
the interests of the two groups converge.
Near Mount Shasta, environmental groups and Indian tribes sued to block
construction of a geothermal energy facility in the Medicine Lake
caldera. And in the Klamath region, tribes and environmentalists are
pushing to remove dams on the Trinity River with the goal of restoring
historic salmon runs.
In Southern California, the Pala Band of Mission Indians is fighting a
landfill slated for construction at the foot of Gregory Mountain, a
place the tribe considers sacred.
Terry Davis, coordinator of the Sierra Club Motherlode Chapter, said he
believes the state will see more such pairings in the future.
