“My journey with tule began with its cultural significance, but as with all things in Wintun culture, tule has taught me that the cultural and the ecological are interwoven.”

Tule wetlands once covered much of the Sacramento Valley. These incredibly productive ecosystems are home to a vast array of wildlife, provide a buffer against flooding, filter and clean water, produce oxygen and sequester carbon more efficiently than tropical forests. Almendariz is now working with scientists to restore tule and cattail wetlands using traditional ecological practices.

”This is not only about recovering lost traditions, but about evolving new ones to meet the needs of the present,” said Almendariz, who is also a co-founder of YoloSol, a multi-media arts, storytelling and ecology collective.

Almendariz teaches at nature centers, museums, and educational institutions across the Sacramento Valley region including the Tending and Gathering Garden at the Cache Creek Nature Preserve where she leads an eight-week training in Traditional Ecological Knowledge for youth.

Almendariz is also a cultural fire expert and frequently leads cultural burns as a Cal Fire-recognized burn boss.  She co-leads the University of California at Davis “Keepers of the Flame” course and is a co-author of a new book -  The Fire Anthology – which will be released this fall.

Adelita Serena, the daughter of farmworkers who organized with Cesar Chavez in Coachella and Salinas, has served historically marginalized communities as an organizer and a cultural artist for three decades as well.

Serena was a co-founder of the Yolo Climate Emergency Coalition, a seminal group that developed and refined the Climate Emergency Resolution that was eventually adopted by the Yolo County Board of Supervisors in September 2020.

This led to her appointment as a founding commissioner to the eleven-member Yolo County Climate Action Commission. This advisory body is charged with the development and implementation of Yolo County’s 2030 Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) to be released this fall.  Adelita currently serves as chair of the Equity and Engagement subcommittee of this commission for which Yolo County received the “2023 Beacon Innovation & Leadership Award” from the Institute for Local Government for their equity work in the CAAP.

Serena also serves as Vice Chair of Woodland’s Sustainability Advisory Committee which advises the City of Woodland on important environmental issues. In this role she recently organized community input forums inviting Woodland residents to share their concerns about environmental issues that are impacting them and their families.

Serena was also recently selected to serve in SACOG's Mobility Zones project as a representative of Woodland/Yolo County and currently serves as group facilitator for this project.

As the founder of Calpulli Tlayolotl, a Meso-American dance group, Serena provides cultural enrichment, education and training in Danza and engages in the ceremonial work of indigenous communities.

“I am honored to receive this award on behalf of marginalized and historically underserved communities whose lived experiences I can relate to,” said Serena.

Both women received awards for their outstanding volunteer service in community engagement at the Sierra Club Mother Lode Chapter Banquet held in Sacramento on Saturday, August 17.