Black Mountain Grove is a large sequoia grove containing more than 500 large trees, on the slopes of Black Mountain located between the Middle and South Forks of Tule River . It lies partly in the Tule River Indian Reservation. Black Mountain Grove is 19.3 miles long and is the sixth largest specimens in the world of all groves. It is dry and hot during summer time which is potentially negative to the forest because it is a higher risk for wildfires. During the winter time, it is cold and fresh. The Black Mountain Grove was a highlight in history because it was the conventional point to stop logging in groves. It played a significant role in the creation of Giant Sequoia National Monument .
25-565: The grove is partly on Giant Sequoia National Monument , Tule River Indian Reservation and in private ownership and contains old and young growth sequoias. The main access to this grove is by road or hiking across country. The grove is estimated at 3,310 acres (13.4 km) with sequoias sprawling across the divide forming the Middle and South Forks of the Tule River . In 1928, the wildfire burned more than 2,600 acres (11 km), which left
50-641: A Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer and five Council Members. The Tule River Tribal Council Consists of nine council members. Each member is voted for by the Tule River Tribal Members. The elected officials then decide who will perform functions of Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. The main piece of governing legislation is the Tule River Indian Tribe Constitution and Bylaws approved January 15, 1936. The Tule River Reservation
75-512: A good portion of the sequoias if it were to catch on fire. This high fuel load caused the MSA to demand a “fuel load reduction plan,” which included plans for logging. Unfortunately this dense fuel load would go on to fuel two devastating wildfires in 2008 and 2017. Climate change has also been a contributing factor to an increase in the frequency and intensity of wildfires. Giant Sequoia National Monument The Giant Sequoia National Monument
100-624: A large clearing in the forest. In 1987, a lawsuit was filed against the Solo Timber Sale by the Sierra Club to stop logging the groves. The judgement made for that lawsuit was that the groves would be restored to their natural state. The 1990 Mediated Settlement Agreement (MSA) to the Sustainable land management plan extended the grove boundaries and prohibited timber harvesting within the groves. In 1992, President Bush visited
125-514: Is East Porterville and/or Springville . Due to the failure of wells in August 2022, families on the reservation had to use bottled water for drinking, cooking, and bathing. The tribe operates many programs to serve its members including a health clinic, a child care center, an adult and vocational education center, a college scholarship program, a housing authority, and a chemical dependency treatment center. The Tule River Indian Health Center
150-674: Is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization founded in 1973 and dedicated to meeting the healthcare and health education needs of the Native American communities in Tulare County. Tule River Indian Health Center is governed by a Health Advisory Board composed of local tribal members from the Tule River Indian Reservation. The Forest Service signed a co-stewardship agreement in 2022 with the tribe for incorporation of tribal practices into management of
175-580: Is a 328,000-acre (512 sq mi) U.S. National Monument located in the southern Sierra Nevada in eastern central California . It is administered by the U.S. Forest Service as part of the Sequoia National Forest and includes 38 of the 39 Giant Sequoia ( Sequoiadendron giganteum ) groves that are located in the Sequoia National Forest, about half of the sequoia groves currently in existence, including one of
200-646: Is directly south of Sequoia National Park and is administered by the Western Divide Ranger District, surrounding the eastern half of the Tule River Indian Reservation . The Giant Sequoia National Monument was created by President Bill Clinton in Proclamation 7295 on April 15, 2000, and published as 65 FR 24095 on April 25. In August 2023, gray wolves reappeared at Giant Sequoia National Monument for
225-648: The Federal Register that they intended to prepare an environmental impact statement and were beginning a year-long collaborative scoping process for development of a new Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan. As of August 2010 only one location in the monument, the Generals Highway , is listed on the National Register of Historic Places , but the monument does have several hundred sites that are potentially eligible for
250-625: The Sequoia National Forest . On April 6, 2021, Tule River Tribe broke ground on the new property for Eagle Mountain Casino, to be moved from the reservation to Porterville. It opened in fall 2023. Eagle Feather Trading Post is one of the largest convenience stores in Tulare County, located on Hwy 190 just above Lake Success. Many of the stories told by the elders of the Tule River Indian reservation have been handed down from generation to generation. Almost all of these stories reflect
275-694: The Tule River Indian War of 1856 , the Tule River Farm, a farm attached to the Tejon Agency, was established in 1858 at the base of the foothills, near the present town of Porterville . The farm was established on 1,280 acres (5.2 km ) on the South Fork of Tule River. In 1860, Thomas Madden, an Indian service employee, gained personal title to the Tule River Farm, by using state school warrants. The federal government rented
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#1732775770615300-769: The Reservation. For thousands of years, this area was inhabited by varying cultures of indigenous peoples . Historic tribes encountered by Europeans in the area included the Yokuts , Mono and Tübatulabal . The area was first colonized by the Spanish and Mexicans , followed by European Americans after the US victory in the Mexican–American War in 1848. After the Owens Valley Indian War and Following
325-832: The Tule River Farm and paid Madden $ 1,000 per year. In 1864, the Tule River Farm became the Tule River Reservation, one of five Indian reservations authorized by Congress. When the United States defeated Half the Owens Valley Paiutes in the Owens Valley Indian War of 1863, they were removed to the reservation, whose population nearly doubled. In 1864, the population consisted of 450 Tule River Indians and 350 Owens River Indians who were relocated there from Fort Tejon . The Owens Valley Paiutes were frightening settlers around
350-563: The Tule River Reservation, including the Yowlumne, Wukchumni bands of Yokut. While the Tule River Indian Tribe includes Owens valley Paiutes and Tübatulabal members, the majority of the tribe are Yokuts . In 1917, some Kitanemuk people also lived in the reservation. The tribe ratified their current tribal constitution in 1936 and last amended it in 1974. Their Tribal Council is democratically elected and includes
375-579: The first time in more than 100 years. Presidential Proclamation 7295 required that a management plan be completed within three years. In January 2004, the Sequoia National Forest published and began implementation of the Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan, which provided for use by an international public as well as for the protection and restoration of 33 giant sequoia groves and their ecosystems. Subsequently, two lawsuits were brought challenging
400-463: The growing town of Porterville. The settlers began to demand removal of the Indians on the Tule River Farm to a more distant location. Indian agents clamored to provide the Indians with a more permanent home. Some also argued the need to separate the Indians from unscrupulous individuals who entered the reservation to entice the Indians to buy cheap liquor. As a result, the Tule River Indian Reservation
425-475: The large sequoias and boosted the terms by completely protecting them from harvesting, mining, and development. In 2008, another wildfire burned about 12% of the grove. In 2017, the Pier Fire burned through a large section of the grove. The fire killed 53 giant sequoias greater than 0.91 m (3.0 ft) in diameter, of which 31 were at least 3.05 m (10.0 ft) in diameter. The high mortality rate
450-575: The plan. In October 2006, Federal District Court Judge Charles Breyer found in favor of the plaintiffs and remanded the plan to the U.S. Forest Service "…so that a proper Monument Plan can be developed in accordance with the Presidential Proclamation,… and in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)…" In January 2008, the Sequoia National Forest published a notice of intent in
475-495: The rarest of them all, the largest sugar pine tree located at the north side of the forest. The smaller plants underfoot are fern , grasses, and forbs . Black Mountain Grove gets fire threats from around the area; for example, from Long Canyon or South and Middle Fork. There was a lot of dead wood around Black Mountain Grove, the dead wood, or just the high fuel in general, has not been removed since 2003; which means, it would burn
500-494: The register. Tule River Indian Reservation The Tule River Indian Tribe of the Tule River Reservation is a federally recognized tribe of Native Americans . The Tule River Reservation is located in Tulare County, California . The reservation was made up of Yokuts , about 200 Yowlumne, Wukchumnis , and Western Mono and Tübatulabal . Tribal enrollment today is approximately 1,857 with 1,033 living on
525-575: The ten largest Giant Sequoias , the Boole Tree , which is 269 feet (82 m) high with a base circumference of 112 feet (34 m). The forest covers 824 square miles (2,130 km ). The monument is in two sections. The northern section surrounds General Grant Grove and other parts of Kings Canyon National Park and is administered by the Hume Lake Ranger District. The southern section, which includes Long Meadow Grove ,
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#1732775770615550-714: The ways and life of the Tule River Tribes. All of the stories carry a strong message to the youth and adults in the region. Significant historical facts on these stories come from Painted Rock, a remarkable set of pictographs along the South Fork Tule River, at 1,608 feet (490 m) on the Tule Indian Reservation. The reservation is mostly served by the Porterville Unified School District with
575-454: Was caused by a combination of poor management of local fuel loads and climate change . Before there were laws to protect the trees in the grove, more than 500 acres of non-sequoia trees were destroyed, and more than 70% of the groves were logged. The forest still has many different kinds of species of trees standing including ponderosa pine trees, willow trees , dogwood trees, white fir trees, black oak trees, incense cedar trees, and
600-473: Was established in 1873 by a US Executive Order in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada . The reservation is the site of Painted Rock , an ancient petroglyph site. Located south of Fresno and north of Bakersfield , it occupies 55,356 acres (224.02 km ). 566 tribal members live on the reservation. Accessible only by one winding 15-mile paved road (24 km) up into the mountains, the nearest town
625-466: Was relocated; in 1873 it was established by Presidential Executive Order of Ulysses S. Grant as a homeland for Tule River, Kings River, Owens River, Monache Cajon and other scattered bands of Indians. Traditionally, 60 Yokuts tribes lived-in south-central California to the east of Porterville. By the end of the 19th century their population was reduced by 75% due to warfare and high fatalities from European diseases. The surviving Yokuts banded together on
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