Place names in Aulinta are still going through changes instigated by questions like: what names should remain from colonization? Which individual people’s names do we need to get rid of? Like, Henry Cowell, was he just a base resource-extracting capitalist or an active virulent racist? Can his name stay around as a legacy name or does it need to go? Can certain names become in effect dead metaphors?

In the context of these issues, our river is still being called the San Lorenzo, though that might change at some point in the future.* Whatever it’s called, here’s some pictures of life along the river and in the marshy areas surrounding.

Black Phoebe

American Coot

Osprey

Common Merganser

Common Goldeneye

Mallard

Cooper’s Hawk with its prey, a non-native pigeon

*Update: Until we find or reconstruct Awaswas Ohlone names, the river is being called the Aulinta River.