Director's Update: NEW FILM on the Feather River Advocacy Project!

By Taylor Pennewell, Co-founder, Executive Director

The impact of the Feather River Advocacy Project goes far beyond environmental issues. Bringing tribes and allies together for water advocacy isn’t just about policy briefings, scientific data, or restoring endangered species. Those things matter—but lasting change requires something deeper: healing the impacts of colonization on our people, our cultures, and our sense of safety so that we can do good advocacy work.

That’s why our approach is holistic. On the same day we trace the route of the State Water Project from Maidu country down to Southern California, we also learn the spiritual uses and medicinal properties of mun muni—mugwort. On the same rainy afternoon we float on Lake Oroville, studying the 14+ dams that control the Feather River, we sing ancestral songs and remember how our people once lit mountaintop fires to guide stolen relatives home during the Gold Rush.

Real tribal capacity can only be built this way—through relationships, respect, and reciprocity. Teaching how to attend a State Water Board meeting isn’t enough when what our communities most need is to restore the family bonds, cultural practices, and inner strength that sustain our fight for our homelands and waters.

We’re proud to share that this approach is working. Together with our film partner, Happy Valley Film Co., we’ve created a short preview that offers a glimpse into how community healing and shared humanity shape the work of the Feather River Advocacy Project.

Please check out the video, share it with your networks, and if you’re inspired, consider supporting us through a donation, sponsorship, or partnership! 

To learn more about the Feather River Advocacy Project, check out: https://www.redbudresourcegroup.org/featherriveradvocacyproject

Sincerely,Taylor Pennewell

Executive Director & Founder, Redbud Resource Group

Tribal Member, Berry Creek Rancheria Band of Maidu Indians of California