Ohlone Recognition Fight, 30-Foot Surf Warning, and El Niño Prep

Indigenous historical scholarship and coastal meteorological readiness converged across the Bay Area this week as a new fact brief examined the century-long effort by the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe to restore federal recognition, the National Weather Service issued a weekend high surf warning for 25- to 30-foot breaking waves, and emergency response agencies demonstrated multi-agency coordination ahead of El Niño winter storms.

Ohlone Tribe Challenges 1925 Declaration With Modern DNA Evidence

A historical fact brief published in partnership with Gigafact documented how the Ohlone were declared “extinct” in 1925 when Alfred Kroeber, then serving as director of UC Berkeley’s Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology, asserted that the Ohlone people were “extinct for all practical purposes.” Prior to Spanish arrival in California, the Ohlone population was estimated at 30,000, and roughly 100 Ohlone people survived colonization in the 1920s.

Kroeber’s inaccurate 1925 declaration resulted in the Ohlone people losing official recognition by the federal government along with the sovereign rights accompanying federal status. Today, members of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe continue living in the Bay Area and are utilizing modern ancient and contemporary DNA testing to substantiate their lineage and press their ongoing campaign for federal recognition.

High Surf Warning Forecasts 25- to 30-Foot Waves This Weekend

Along the Pacific coast, the National Weather Service issued a high surf warning for Bay Area beaches scheduled to take effect at 6 p.m. Friday and remain active until 4 a.m. Sunday. Forecasters predict dangerously high surf with breaking waves reaching 25 to 30 feet along the coastline.

In an advisory posted on November 10, the National Weather Service Bay Area office urged the public to remain out of the ocean and stay away from beaches, jetties, piers, and coastal rocks, emphasizing that hazardous beach conditions put both visitors and first responders at risk during coastal rescues.

Regional Agencies Coordinate El Niño Winter Storm Strategy

Inland and coastal agencies also gathered Tuesday to demonstrate interagency teamwork ahead of impending El Niño winter storms, uniting personnel from Cal Fire, the Red Cross, PG&E, and San Jose’s Office of Emergency Management. PG&E Vice President Angie Gibson highlighted the utility’s meteorology team, noting that advanced forecasting allows planners to evaluate weather systems 4 days to 10 days out and mobilize crews and equipment before storms make landfall.

PG&E meteorologists noted that in 2023 the Bay Area experienced 15 atmospheric rivers within a two-and-a-half-month period. Cal Fire Unit Chief Marcus Hernandez pointed out one encouraging factor heading into the rainy season: the South Bay did not experience major summer wildfires that would have left vulnerable hillside burn scars ahead of winter precipitation.