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K'O'OWSHUP NATIONAL MONUMENT?
CALIFORNIA PRAIRIE NATIONAL MONUMENT?
CALIFORNIA CONDOR NATIONAL MONUMENT?
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Carrizo is a Spanish European word that denotes "cane grass." Ironically, no evidence exists from history, nor from science, that cane grass occurred on the Carrizo Plain. In essence, it was carrizo-less, but it was however a vast prairie landscape, albeit also treeless. Even Soda Lake which is often dry, with a salt-lake nature, has no fish, frogs, or mammals in the Lake due to the salinity and alkalinity. On the other hand, millions of shrimp, insects, and algae live in Soda Lake, not to mention the thousands of birds that either roost or nest there. Plain is an English European word that denotes "level-flat landscape." "Plain" was quickly translated from the Spanish word Llano during the early years of California statehood, between 1850-1880. Thus, from 1790 to 1850, during the Spanish-Mexican Period, this treeless landscape was called: LLANO ESTERO. This is borne out by the 1853 US Railroad Survey Map which shows a placename of LLANO ESTERO for the region of the Carrizo Plain where Soda Lake occurs. The meaning of estero, translated from Spanish into English, is "estuary" or "lake" or "salt marsh." The same map, shows a "Rancho Carrizo" located about 15-20 miles west of the Carrizo Plain. At that location, Carrizo Grass still lives today, but it is two river canyons to the west of the Carrizo Plain and the terrain there is mountainous, not a "plain." The Rancho was the nearest thing to a human habitation and consequently, the entire 40 mile long Plain, by default, became known as the Carrizo Plain. By 1900, the United States government had standardized the landscape name into Carrizo Plain on all its maps. The original spanish-mexican name of "LLANO ESTERO" was conveniently erased from the earth, so to speak, by American settlers, farmers, and ranchers. These new peoples, applied their own names to the land and their homestead. Names such as Goodwin Ranch, Washburn Ranch, Calhoun Ranch, American Ranch, and others mark the Carrizo Plain. Interestingly, to this day, in casual conversation by local residents and visitors, an "s" is often added, as in Carrizo Plains, probably an unconcious language "slip" similar to the "s" in the word "Great Plains." The parallel nature of the Great Plains to this smaller version in California, which is actually a prairie landscape with great vastness is plainly evident.
Incidently, the Carrizo Plain is anything but level-flat, elevations can change dramatically by as much as 100 feet with cliffs, gorges, lake edges, arroyos, drop-offs, break-offs, rock-outcrops, and fault scarps. In addition, the Carrizo prairie landscape ranges from 1900' at Soda Lake to around 2300' feet at the Selby Rocks, Saucito Rocks and Painted Rock. The two Mountains that hem in the treeless prairie reach to nearly 4000' and over 5000' respectively (Temblor Mountains and Caliente Mountain).
Americans, mainly immigrants from Scotland, Germany, and England, translating "Llano Estero-Rancho Carrizo" into many variations, beginning 150 years ago, because they were not able to pronounce and translate the Spanish and English words. Here are five examples:
1. Carrisa Plain
2. Carrisa Plains
3. Carizzo Plains
4. Cariso Plain
5. Carrizo Plains
The Spanish and American Periods represent only the last 150 years. However, before Europeans, the word for the Carrizo Plain was K'o'owshup. K'o'owshup is a Native American Indian word from the Chumash culture. The word K'o'owshup denotes "earth - water" and "earth - pet."
As a geographer, historian, and scientist doing research on this beautiful treeless prairie landscape, I recommend "K'o'owshup" since the word Carrizo is inaccurate and negates any positive environmental education. It is a dis-service to the public to use a name that is mis-information. It is important to be accurate in giving a name to a place so that it has meaning. The word K'o'owshup will prompt visitors to ask: "what does the word mean?" The opportunities for education, enlightenment, and "broadening our horizons" emerges from interpretation and environmental education. Perhaps most importantly however, the acknowledgement and use of "K'o'owshup" would honor the First Peoples that lived on this vast prairie landscape. There were three tribal cultures that visited here: Chumash, Yokuts, and Salinan. These peoples lived more "lightly" on the land and water, if only by virture of there being fewer of them then, than the "masses" that we are today. In closing, K'o'owshup is most descriptive in that there is "earth and water" and the "pet," if we consider wildlife such as the "California Condor" as a kind of pet-wildlife. The Condor was collected from the wild as young birds and then kept as an pet-object by several tribes. After several years of age, the Condor would be sacrificed in a ritual. Other animals of the prairie landscape such as elk, antelope, coyote badger, eagle, falcon, hawk, and countless others occur here. All of these animals are found here for everyone to respect at a distance and "let it be" a landscape of California wild nature. I would also recommend that the Monument could be named for an animal, and the Condor would be most appropriate due to its highly endangered status and the need that it has for a real home in California. Thus, a good name could be: California Condor National Monument. The Condor requires carrion-prey of Elk, Antelope, Deer, Rabbit, and other animals which are found on the proposed National Monument. Historic nesting sites overlook the prairie landscape from the north, south and west. Naming if for the Condor, which has suffered tremendously at the hand of "men" with guns, would show the way to having hunting eliminated from the proposed National Monument. And just as hunting is inappropriate, so are the fences that ensnare wildlife such as Elk, Antelope, Condor, Deer, Coyote, Eagle, and Sandhill Crane.
One more reason for the use of the word K'o'owshup is that there is a pattern of our National Parks being named with a Native American word, such as Denali National Park in Alaska, where the highest peak in all of North America is found, formerly known as Mt. McKinley National Park. In addition, Yosemite and Sequoia are Native American names. Another kind of name, that describes a geography is also useful, for example Grand Canyon is most appropriately named. So let us give a new name for the proposed National Monument. Some choices are: K'o'owshup National Monument or California Prairie National Monument or California Condor National Monument. Let us have a Geography of Hope for K'o'owshup, the California Condor, and this last remnant of very rare California Prairie.
** Note. The Walt Whitman prose comes from the Sierra Club Bulletin magazine (1977), as the lead-off quote to an article by Linda Billings entitled: "The Prairie ... Vanishing Landscape or National Park?" The article laments that the United States has no Prairie National Park. Incidently, the article was also put into "a treasury of the Sierra Club Bulletin" (1893-1977), edited by Ann Gilliam. Just in California for example, our State was at one time, more than 25% prairie, but now less than 1% remains intact as a prairie ecosystem. Whitman's words via the Sierra Club publication relates directly to this "characteristic" "GEOGRAPHPY OF HOPE" for California. We need to save this landscape for its especially rare ecosystem type, but also for its mystical nature (Whitman), with a soul and a colorful wetland at the heart. An Executive Order by President William Jefferson Clinton is needed to make it so. The Order, must have however, provisions that terminate
hunting, livestock grazing, fences, planting trees, and poaching. If not, the California State Parks Agency has had a 33 year long interest in this prairie landscape, specifically Painted Rock, so a second possibility is for the President to deed it to the California as a "Prairie" State Park. As the author of this web page, acknowledgement is here noted of my bias for this prairie landscape and wetlands after exploring, researching, and tramping here for the past 12 years. It breaks my heart and soul to see and hear gunshots at Elk, Antelope, Deer, Rabbit, Quail, Dove, Crane, Curlew, Badger, Rattlesnake, Squirrel, Hawk, Falcon, Eagle, and Condor on this K'o'owshup Prairie. It also hurts to see these animals caught in fences, or hanging from fences by hunters and poachers. We need this Monument to be established with NO HUNTING and NO GRAZING as Monuments and Parks were in the Franklin Roosevelt and Theodore Roosevelt Administrations. The Roosevelts never grandfathered into the Monuments, either hunting or grazing. John Muir and the Sierra Club knew then and we know as well today, that hunting and grazing are not good on Parks and Monuments; "hooved locusts" are what grazing animals are, John Muir told us wisely. We hope for nothing less than a National Monument with no grazing, no fences, and no hunting Mr. President.
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