The Art of Regional Change » Place

Place

Restore/Restory documents the changing social, economic and physical landscape of a highly contested area in rural Yolo County, California. The Cache Creek Nature Preserve has its origins in a generational controversy between environmental and economic interests associated with gravel mining on Cache Creek. The Preserve opened in 2000 to restore lower Cache Creek following restrictions on gravel mining and return civic peace to the region by setting up common ground between competing interests in the watershed. The 130-acre Preserve sits on land used most recently for large-scale gravel mining, but previously hosted Anglo farming and hunting, Californio ranching, and native Patwin fishing and gathering.  Recognizing a need for cultural restoration to accompany the ecological work at the site, the Cache Creek Conservancy partnered with ARC to implement a participatory community process to produce a people’s history website and site-based audio tour exploring the complex human and natural significance of the Preserve.