Mendocino Area Parks Association

TO INSPIRE AND ENSURE STEWARDSHIP OF THE STATE PARKS OF MENDOCINO COUNTY.

PARK ADVENTURE COAST KITS: IN RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, WE CREATED SELF-GUIDED "PARK ADVENTURE COAST KITS" IN LIEU OF TRADITIONAL FIELD TRIPS TO SUPPORT COVID-SAFE, NATURE BASED LEARNING IN STATE PARKS IN MENDOCINO COUNTY. WE PRINTED AND DISTRIBUTED #2000 BILINGUAL (SPANISH AND ENGLISH) PARK ADVENTURE COAST KITS TO STUDENTS AT ALL 5 SCHOOLS IN THE FORT BRAGG SCHOOL DISTRICT, AS WELL AS AT MENDOCINO COAST CLINICS AND SAFE PASSAGE FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER. WE ALSO MADE THE KITS AVAILABLE AS A FREE DOWNLOADABLE PDF ON OUR WEBSITE FOR INCREASED REACH AND ACCESS: HTTPS://WWW.MENDOPARKS.ORG/EDUCATION-PROGRAMS. THE GOALS OF THE PARK ADVENTURE COAST KITS WERE TO PROVIDE YOUTH AND FAMILIES WITH COVID-SAFE OUTDOOR LEARNING EXPERIENCES FEATURING REDWOOD AND OCEAN ECOLOGY, INFORMATION ON THE FIRST PEOPLE OF THE MENDOCINO COAST (COASTAL AND NORTHERN POMO TRIBES), HEALTH AND WELLNESS PROMPTS, AS WELL AS AN OVERALL PARK "KEY" FOR EASY ACCESS TO THE MANY ACTIVITIES AT OUR NEARLY 20 STATE PARKS IN MENDOCINO COUNTY. "PARK ADVENTURE COAST KITS'' ADAPTED OUR TRADITIONAL PARK INTERPRETATION TO REACH YOUTH THROUGH HEALTH CLINICS, SCHOOLS, AND HUMAN SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS DURING THE BEGINNING OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC TO PROVIDE: INFORMATION ON STATE PARKS IN MENDOCINO COUNTY; SAFE ACTIVITIES TO ENJOY AT PARKS (IE, ACTIVITIES WHERE PHYSICAL DISTANCING IS FEASIBLE); TRAIL MAPS; INTERPRETIVE INFORMATION AND NATURE BASED LEARNING; AND, BENEFITS OF SPENDING TIME IN NATURE.

TILE ART PROJECT AT THE MENDOCINO HEADLANDS STATE PARK: MENDOPARKS AND THE MENDOCINO ART CENTER COLLABORATED ON A TILE ART PROJECT AT THE NEW FORD HOUSE RESTROOMS AT THE MENDOCINO HEADLANDS STATE PARK IN MENDOCINO, FEATURING ORIGINAL ARTWORK BY CONTEMPORARY POMO ARTISTS BONNIE LOCKHART (NORTHERN POMO, KAI POMA), MEYO MARRUFO (EASTERN POMO), AND ERIC WILDER (SOUTHWEST POMO). LOCKHART, WILDER, AND MARRUFO CONCEPTUALIZED THEMES CELEBRATING THE LIFEWAYS OF COASTAL POMO PEOPLE AND BEGAN A TRULY COLLABORATIVE ART PROJECT WITH EACH ARTIST PAINTING DIFFERENT THEMES AND SECTIONS OF THE MURALS:"THROUGH THE CREATION OF SIX UNIQUE MURALS INCORPORATING LAND, SEA, PLANTS, AND ANIMALS, THE MURALS WERE CREATED TO SHARE WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE ARE, INSTEAD OF HAVING A DISCONNECT OF WHERE WE ARE. WE HOPE THIS PROJECT INCREASES THE INCLUSION AND RECOGNITION OF THE INDIVIDUALITY OF THE NATIVE AMERICAN PEOPLE OF MENDOCINO COUNTY. WE WOULD LIKE THE VIEWER TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE CALIFORNIA NATIVE POMO PEOPLE ARE NOT GONE FROM OUR COMMUNITIES. AS NATIVE PEOPLE, WE HAVE MERGED OUR TRADITIONAL CULTURE WITH CONTEMPORARY ART. WE SHARE OUR STORY AND THROUGH OUR ART, AND WE SHOW THE WORLD THAT WE ARE STILL HERE. YES, WE ARE BASKET WEAVERS, BUT WE ARE MORE THAN BASKET WEAVERS. THIS VENUE ALLOWS FOR THREE DIFFERENT ARTISTS FROM THREE DIFFERENT POMO REGIONS TO HONOR THE CULTURAL LANDSCAPE AND LIFEWAYS OF THE POMO PEOPLE. THIS IS ABOUT OUR CONTINUED RESILIENCE, IT'S ABOUT HOW WE STILL MAINTAIN STRONG TIES TO OUR LAND. IT'S ABOUT WHERE WE STILL COME FOR CEREMONY, FAMILY EVENTS, GATHERING, AND RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES, AND HOW WE ARE STILL A PART OF THE LANDSCAPE-WE DON'T ONLY SHOW THAT THROUGH OUR ART BUT THROUGH OUR NAME PLACES, OUR TRADITIONAL LAND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, AND THE SHARING OF OURSELVES. WE ARE STILL HERE."WE BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF ART, AND THE POWER OF NATURE, TO EDUCATE, HEAL, AND NURTURE OUR COMMUNITIES, AND SEE THE TILE ART PROJECT AS ONE OF MANY STEPS OUR ORGANIZATIONS AND COMMUNITY CAN TAKE TOWARDS SUPPORTING THE ORIGINAL CARETAKERS OF THE MENDOCINO COAST, THE NORTHERN AND COASTAL POMO, CAHTO, AND YUKI TRIBES. THE MENDOCINO ART CENTER, MENDOPARKS, AND THE ARTISTS HOPE YOU WILL ENJOY VIEWING THIS PROJECT WHEN YOU VISIT THE MENDOCINO HEADLANDS STATE PARK, AND THAT THE ARTWORK WILL INSPIRE YOU TO LEARN MORE ABOUT AND SUPPORT THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN YOUR HOME COMMUNITY.

WHALE EDUCATION: WE HOSTED A VIRTUAL WHALE FESTIVAL IN LIEU OF OUR TRADITIONAL WHALE FESTIVAL ACTIVITIES AND CREATED A "HOW TO WHALE WATCH" VIDEO IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CA STATE PARKS. WE ALSO UPDATED OUR "WHALE WATCHING" EDUCATIONAL BROCHURE AND PRODUCED HARDCOPIES AS WELL AS FREE DOWNLOADABLE PDFS, IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH.LITTLE LIBRARY FOR MACKERRICHER STATE PARK: IN 2021, WE INSTALLED A "LITTLE LENDING LIBRARY" AT MACKERRICHER STATE PARK, THE FIRST OF ITS KIND IN THE CA STATE PARK SYSTEM, TO PROVIDE FREE EDUCATIONAL BOOKS AT THE PARK. THE LITTLE LIBRARY IS LOCATED JUST OUTSIDE THE MACKERRICHER STATE PARK VISITOR CENTER AND FOCUSES ON NATURE BASED LEARNING FOR YOUTH.SAFETY REPAIRS AT MENDOCINO HEADLANDS STATE PARK: IN 2021, WE FUNDED THE REPAIRS TO THE STAIRCASE ON THE NORTH BEACH ACCESS AT THE PARK, AS WELL AS REPAIRS TO THE HEESR FENCELINE.