Acknowledging the Source: Tribal Sovereignty in the Tuolumne County Watershed

The Water Resources & Civil Infrastructure (WR&CI) group was approached last year by the Department of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation (DAPER) and a student athlete. The athlete represented herself and other Native American equestrian students who were concerned about the signage present on some bottle fill stations at the Red Barn and other athletic facility areas.

The student relayed the concerns of her visiting relative, who shared ancestry with one of the tribes in the Tuolumne River watershed. The student and her relative asked if DAPER could work on a modification to these signs acknowledging the Tribes impacted historically by the creation of the reservoir and the construction of the O’Shaughnessy Dam.

WR&CI assembled a team to create a new sign that would acknowledge the Indigenous people in the watershed, show gratitude for the water resources, and inspire people to learn more about the water source and impacts on the water system. The team worked with Laura Jones, and had the opportunity to discuss the desired sign update with staff from both San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) Natural Resources and Lands Management Division and the National Park Service (NPS) staff, since Hetch Hetchy is owned/operated by SFPUC and within Yosemite National Park.

After several iterations and continued coordination with the student and DAPER, new language was developed. The language was used for the sign update and additional content on the Water Resources website, and the signs were replaced in May 2024. Additionally, a new water bottle filling station was installed in the Arboretum just ahead of the Stanford Powwow, and it also features this new sign. The sign now reads:

This drinking water originates from the Tuolumne River watershed in Yosemite National Park and is conveyed to the Bay Area by a regional water system.

The Tuolumne River watershed is the homeland of Indigenous peoples, especially speakers of Sierra Miwok and Northern Paiute and their descendants. These people have cared for and revered this land since time immemorial.

We invite you to seek deeper knowledge about the water you draw from this tap.

Many thanks to the teams that worked to develop and install the updated sign and new bottle fill station! 

Sign update team: Student Annella Tucker, Julia Nussbaum with support from Water Planning & Stewardship team, Laura Jones, Elena Angoloti, Jai Narayan and Sign Shop team, DAPER staff, Red Barn and equestrian team staff, SFPUC staff, Yosemite National Park Service staff

New water station: Steve Bui, Richard Souza and Water Shop team, Adam Slusser, Cathy Blake, Drew Brown, and Anza Engineering