Credit: Bureau of Reclamation
March 2015 - SONORA, Calif. – Please join the Bureau of Reclamation at the New Melones Lake Visitor Center on Saturday, April 18, for the lake’s first annual Heritage Day. The day will be a celebration of the Native American Me-Wuk peoples of Tuolumne and Calaveras counties, their history, culture and traditions. Admission and parking are free.
The festivities will commence with a traditional blessing at 9:30 a.m. and will continue until 2 p.m. Demonstrations of beadwork and jewelry making, basket weaving, flint knapping and acorn preparation will continue throughout the event. A special presentation of traditional native dancing by the Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuks will take place at 10 a.m.
Representatives of the Tuolumne Me-Wuk’s Four Seasons Native Plant Nursery will be present, and the Tuolumne County Master Gardeners will be onsite to answer questions and give away native seeds and plants (while supplies last). The Master Gardeners will also have information available on invasive species and their eradication.
Please bring the family for this special day. Reclamation strives to preserve historical heritage landscapes for future generations to discover. For further information on Heritage Day activities, please contact Ranger Pat Sanders at 209-536-9094, ext. 200.
The New Melones Visitor Center and Museum is managed by Reclamation’s Central California Area Office and is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
If you would like to participate in a program and need accommodation, please contact Park Ranger Hilary Maxworthy at 209-536-9094, ext. 221, or hmaxworthy@usbr.gov a minimum of 14 days in advance.
For information on activities, directions, pet restrictions or other questions, please call the Visitor Center and Museum at 209-536-9543 (TTY 800-877-8339) or visit the New Melones Lake website at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/ccao/newmelones/index.html.
