On the day the California Court of Appeal heard arguments over whether to uphold lower court protection of the West Berkeley Shellmound, landowners erected a six-foot chain link fence topped with three strands of barbed wire. It was a gut punch.
In a stunning development, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has placed the West Berkeley Shellmound and Village Site on their 2020 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.
After a two-year battle, developers have withdrawn their plans to build a 5-story condo complex at the West Berkeley Shellmound. We are not calling this a “victory” because the land owners say they’ll try to move ahead—but now is the time to advance another vision for the site.
An expensive public relations campaign cannot obscure the fact that an important cultural landscape and designated historic landmark — a sacred site — still graces Berkeley where Strawberry Creek once flowed into the bay and a 5,000 year-old Ohlone village built a massive mound of shells and revered ancestors.
There is very clear evidence of cultural artifacts beneath the pavement of Spenger’s Parking Lot at 1900 Fourth Street, no matter what the developers may claim.
With a June 5 deadline looming, we need your help! Register your opinion with Berkeley decision-makers.
An expensive public relations campaign cannot obscure the fact that an important cultural landscape and designated historic landmark — a sacred site — still graces Berkeley where Strawberry Creek once flowed into the bay and a 5,000 year-old Ohlone village built a massive mound of shells and revered ancestors.
The Ohlone campaign to protect the West Berkeley Shellmound and Village Site suffered a setback last week as the developer invoked a new state law that takes control of housing project approval away from local zoning boards and requires over-the-counter rubber stamp approval by planning departments.
Corrina Gould, leader of the Confederated Villages of Lisjan, leads a remembrance at the Emeryville Shellmound site on the day after Thanksgiving to sing and pray and remind shoppers of the history of this sacred site and its meaning to living Ohlone culture.
At the end of a tough year, let us celebrate the success stories from recent decades that can inspire us in the battles that lie ahead.