“The Central Coast Ethnobiology Study”

Prof.  Lynn Huntsinger,  Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, College of Natural Resources, UC Berkeley

Restoration and management of California’s wilderness is a goal of many including the native people and the state park system. Scholars and institutional representatives are pursuing a collaborative approach to take a closer look at California’s landscapes and ideal management plans by utilizing historic ecology. The Ohlone tribe of the central California coast regularly used fire as a tool to manage the environment and promote biological diversity. Archaeological excavations are underway near Ano Nuevo in the Quiroste Valley in order to better understand how the land had been managed for thousands of years by the aboriginal people of California. The physical evidence found sheds light on the types of plants found in the region and the frequency of native set fires to maintain the landscapes and help formulate environmental management plans for the future.

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Yvette is currently an Environment and Society major in in the College of Natural Resources at UC Berkeley. She is in the Honors Transfer Program, a member of Phi Theta Kappa, and is on the Dean’s list of Honor Students.  Upon completion of her undergraduate work she intends to apply for graduate school to conduct research that will help tribes in pursuing various goals such as ecological research and environmental management. Yvette is the first in her family to attend college and is excited to pursue a career that will benefit the planet and the lives of other Native Americans.