On March 30th, 2010, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, the California Valley Miwok Tribe (located at 10601 Escondido Pl., Stockton, CA 95212) held a Government-to-Government Meet & Greet Roundtable Meeting. The purpose of this roundtable meeting is for the California Valley Miwok Tribe to meet the County Planning Directors; County Council of Governments (COGS) Executive Directors; Planning & Community Department Directors; Historical Landmark Advisory Committees, Caltrans Dist. Directors/Native Liaison/Environmental Planner; Native American Heritage Commission Acting Executive Secretary; County Public Communications Mangers; Stanislaus National Forest Service Forest Supervisor; Archaeologist, Central Sierra Resource Conservation & Development Project Coordinator and the US Army Corps of Engineer’s Liaisons and Project Managers, and other federal and state agencies and departments.
CVMT initiated its first meeting in a series of proposed government-to-government “Roundtable” meetings that it will now conduct to better communicate with all government agencies it currently works with or will in the near future. These meetings are being held to improve communication and better the interaction between the Tribe and city, county, state and federal government agencies and the subsidiary corporations and agencies that work for them. The California Valley Miwok Tribe’s cultural preservation department also attended the first in a series of projected meetings because so much of what the Tribe is trying to do is to also address cultural concerns in its aboriginal territory. These meetings are a constructive way in which the Tribe is trying to reach out to more personalize the existing relationships that it now has and that it will have in the future. Those attending received a brief history “documented” on the Tribe and got a viewing of the Tribe’s wall of accomplishments on display. This shows the Tribe’s interaction with all branches of government including, “President of the United States Barack Obama”.
There were two meetings conducted on this day to address issues of mutual concern and to enhance current and future working relationships. The first meeting was attended by Timothy J. Mc Sorley, PE., Executive Director of the Calaveras Council of Governments and Kathy Strain, Heritage USDA Forest Service – Resource and Tribal Relations Program Manager, Stanislaus National Forest. There was much previous unknown information that was shared, and a better understanding in which to build a stronger working relationship was felt by all as the meeting concluded. The second meeting was attended by Mr. Ross Chittenden, the new Caltrans District 10 Director and Kathleen McClaflin, the Caltrans District 10 Native American Liaison. This meeting saw further discussion from subject matter previously discussed at the March 4th, 2010 meeting and was a prelude to a meeting to be held on April 5th, 2010. This meeting went very well and the Tribe looks forward to a great working relationship with Caltrans District 10 built on mutual respect. Also in attendance at the meetings held on this day were the California Valley Miwok Tribal Chairperson Silvia Burley, California Valley Miwok Tribal Consultant Tiger Paulk, California Valley Miwok Tribal Cultural Preservation Department Director Ms. Debra Grimes and her staff Assistant Director of Cultural Preservation/CRS Sr. Native Consultant Adam Lewis; Senior Native Consultant David Rummerfield and Senior Native Consultant Harold Rummerfield. The Tribe wishes to thank all those whom attended.
