The Amah Mutsun Tribe first encountered the Spanish in the late 1700s. Since then, they’ve been coerced into a centuries-long colonial project that has seized their native land, toppled their political sovereignty, abused their physical labor, and attempted to erase their culture.
We may imagine colonization in California as brutality committed by Spanish settlers and missionaries in the 1800s. However, colonization isn’t a fixed moment in the written past.
Colonization is ongoing, often at the hands of companies that own tribal territory who dream of construction developments in pursuit of modern money-making endeavors.
Juristac, a stretch of land located at the cusp of Santa Cruz and Gilroy, is described by the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band as the heart of their ancestral territory. Now, the 5,154 acres are privately owned by Sargent Ranch.
Sargent Ranch Partners, LLC plans to develop three quarry sites on 403 acres of Juristac land to provide more locally sourced raw construction materials –– specifically, construction-grade sand. The mine would last 30 years, but the damage is permanent.
According to Amah Mutsun Chairman Valentin Lopez, Juristac is one of the last remaining undisturbed areas of their ancestral land, the rest having been lost to development. The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band has made it clear that if there is mining on the land, “there will be no way to rehabilitate the cultural and spiritual aspects of the landscape disruption of the spiritual integrity.”
Alternative proposals in Santa Clara County’s Environmental Impact Report offer a “win-win” solution that simultaneously protects wildlife habitats and corridors while allowing for the construction of the quarry. However, if Sargent Ranch proposes a mutually beneficial solution to build Sargent Ranch Quarry — despite the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band not wanting a quarry at all — whose voice will Santa Clara County listen to?
Amah Mutsun is not a federally recognized tribe, meaning they receive less funding and less sovereign rights compared to a federally recognized one.
According to Sargent Ranch’s campaign website, the extraction site will use eight percent of Juristac land, reserving 92 percent of the land to the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band.
The Sargent Ranch Quarry development is a disingenuous compromise from land developers who are sympathetic to Amah Mutsun’s cultural history, yet overwhelmingly see the land as untapped raw material. Exploiting the environment’s resources directly contradicts Native American core values of stewardship, reciprocity, and mutual respect for the land.
Having a domestic site to source sand is significant to land developers looking to build in the Bay Area. Currently, sand is sourced from Vancouver Island, Canada and shipped to the port of Oakland, creating a large carbon footprint.
The development of this land reflects a shortcut that benefits developers rather than an environmentally conscious decision intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This greenwashing narrative from Sargent Ranch is just another attempt to capitalize on environmental concerns and climate panic to justify a money-making enterprise.
Sargent Ranch claims to value wildlife habitat conservation, yet this development will use an estimated 83,000 gallons of water per day and encroach on habitat for the endangered California Red-Legged Frog. The untouched land presents a rare opportunity to simultaneously honor indigenous heritage and preserve native species.
The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band has a sovereign right to Juristac and the ecological wildlife that reside on this land.
“Our people have been destroyed and dominated for many generations,” Lopez said. “Juristac represents an opportunity to recognize the humanity of our ancestors and correct the wrongs that have been committed. It is time we fully acknowledge this difficult history and work together to protect the environment and its resources for generations to come.”
Six cities, including Santa Cruz, have adopted resolutions asking Santa Clara County to deny planning permits in favor of protecting Juristac.
They have a right to protect, cultivate, and thrive on the sacred land of their people. The Sargent Ranch Quarry is an egregious threat to the survival of the Amah Mutsun Tribal band, and to the dozens of species of wildlife that rely on Juristac.
City on a Hill Press urges Santa Clara County to deny approval for this quarry. We believe the quarry will cause irreparable cultural, spiritual, and environmental damage to the ancestral land of the Amah Mutsun Tribal band, threatening their continued survival. The economic gain is not worth the devastation.