Chumash Sanctuary

02/27/2026

There’s nothing like the salt air. 🌊
For the Chumash, the ocean is more than a view.
It is memory, nourishment, and responsibility.

Caring for the ocean means honoring ancestors and protecting future generations.

02/26/2026

02/23/2026

Can a sanctuary be a church? 🌊

For many, it is.
Time in protected waters offers pause, perspective, and a deeper connection to nature. Sanctuaries support mental health by giving space to breathe, reflect, and feel part of something larger.

This is why places like the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary matter beyond conservation.

02/20/2026

🌊

Joseph Lopez, a Chumash paddler, shares why protecting Grandmother Ocean matters.
A relationship built on respect, responsibility, and care.

Voices like his remind us what preservation really means, and why the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary matters.

02/16/2026

What makes these waters so vital? 🌊

Dr. Sylvia Earle reminds us that this sanctuary is alive with biodiversity. Kelp forests, marine life, and interconnected ecosystems all thriving together.

Protecting these waters means protecting the systems that sustain our ocean and our future. This is why places like the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary are so important.

02/13/2026

💙

Listening to our elders is how memory stays alive.
In this video, Francis, a Chumash elder, shares stories from her childhood along the coast reminding us that the land and ocean hold our history.

Honoring elders means valuing lived knowledge, care, and continuity. Their voices guide how we protect what matters for future generations.

Stories like these are part of why places like the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary matter.

02/09/2026

What do sanctuaries do? 🌊

They protect and they educate.
Education is what makes conservation last for generations.

The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary shows us that learning is a form of protection 💙

02/06/2026

TBT to a powerful moment of return and remembrance 🪨🌊

A few years ago we gathered at Lisamuʼ to hold ceremony and welcome home what was taken from this sacred place to build the Port San Luis breakwater. A moment rooted in healing, accountability, and reconnection.

Looking back, that ceremony was never about what was removed. It was about responsibility to place, protecting sacred sites, and restoring balance.

That journey continues today through the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary and the ongoing work to protect land and water.

02/04/2026

This is not a brown planet.
This is not a green planet.
This is a blue planet. 🌊

The ocean regulates our climate, carries life, and holds the memory of this Earth. Protecting it is not optional. It is essential.

For the Chumash, the ocean is not a resource. It is a relative, a responsibility, a living connection between ancestors and future generations.

To protect the ocean is to protect life itself.

01/31/2026

Point Conception is know to the Chumash as the Western Gate. It is the place where the souls of the dead cross into Similaqsa - the next realm.

Do you know any other spiritually-relevant sites in the central coast?

[This video is a short snippet of “Coastal Guardians”, a short film by Take 5 Productions with the Carsey-Wolf Center]

01/26/2026

"History of Native California" is a short documentary made by in collaboration with and , that outlines the waves of destruction that affected Indigenous people native to California.

We invite you to watch this film and learn more about the history of dispossession and genocide of Indigenous people in California. By understanding our past we can forge a different future.

Link in bio for the full documentary!