In today's newscast:
Land returns to Indigenous stewardship
The Ohlone/Costanoan-Esselen Nation is celebrating the return of 84 acres of ancestral homeland in Monterey County.
On Saturday, tribal members, conservation leaders and community supporters gathered near Highway 68 to bless their land.
"I’m going to ask you to stand and say a prayer," said Ohlone/Costanoan-Esselen Nation Tribal Chairwoman Louise Miranda Ramirez.
She says the milestone came after years of persistence.
"The first letter that I wrote requesting this land was in 2010," she said. "Sixteen years to fight for this land, to bring it back to us.”
The Big Sur Land Trust collaborated with the tribe and many other partners.
Vice President Rachel Saunders also spoke at the event.
"We are deeply grateful for the partnership with the tribe," she said, "with the (California State Coastal) Conservancy, and the larger community, to make this possible.”
Now, the land will once again be under Indigenous stewardship.
Penguin chick makes first public appearance
A fluffy penguin chick named Ari has debuted at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.
Magellanic penguins like three-month old Ari are becoming a rare sight. Climate change and overfishing have led to their decline.
Aquarium visitor Kris Laidlaw was grateful to see Ari and his colony without having to travel to their native South America.
“It’s actually amazing to see," Laidlaw said. "You don’t see this very often anywhere, and it’s a lot cheaper than going to the wild to see them.”
Ari charmed visitors in his first appearance as a public penguin as he splashed and swam across the display.
That reporting from our California Newsroom partner, LAist.
