Los Padres Partners with Chumash Indians on Educational Signs
Andrew Madsen, Forest Public Affairs Officer
March 28th, 2025
Los Padres National Forest staff have completed the installation of educational signs at five recreation sites on the Santa Lucia Ranger District through a partnership with the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians whose ancestral lands comprise much of National Forest Service land along California’s Central Coast.
Funding for the project was secured through a generous grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
Chumash interpretive sign
The signs were designed in collaboration with the Chumash Tribal Council with assistance from Forest Service graphic design specialists to ensure the Tribe’s concerns were met and adhered to Agency publishing standards. Each sign centers on two themes – cultural education of traditional Chumash uses of plants and animals, fire management, and ancestral inhabitants of the Forest, and education on the endangered Southern California steelhead trout, impacts from wildfire and barriers to passage, bans on steelhead fishing, and how to protect this culturally significant species.
The signs measure 24 by 36 inches and stand a little under four feet off the ground mounted on a single nine-inch diameter cylindrical cement post that stand 18 inches apart.
This signage will educate visitors on the Native American Chumash history of the Forest and the Tribe’s traditional practices. The new signs are located within the burn scar of the massive 2007 Zaca Fire.
“We truly value working with our local tribal partners to educate the public about the history of the area they are visiting and cultural practices of the original inhabitants of the Forest,” said Santa Lucia District Ranger Ben Gray. “The Chumash tribal elders were instrumental in getting this project off the ground and in shaping the messaging in each of the panels.”
All three of the signs were installed at Davy Brown and Nira Campgrounds, and at the Lower Manzanita and Upper Davy Brown Trailheads. The Cachuma Saddle/McKinley Trailhead has only two signs to avoid overcrowding the site and its limited available space. This project also funded the relocation of the Upper Davy Brown Trailhead sign-in/registry box to an area adjacent to the new signs.
This project directly addresses Los Padres’ commitment to develop educational and engagement opportunities to illustrate the natural and cultural history on NFS lands. The signs will promote a greater awareness of ancestral Chumash practices while providing further education around steelhead trout and current efforts to protect this endangered species and restore tributaries in its native habitat.
The non-profit environmental group Blue Tomorrow worked with the Chumash on logistics, design, and messaging aspects of this project.