Bay Nature Special Event: Ohlone Skies

* This event is SOLD OUT *

Join Bay Nature and Ohlone Tribal leaders Vincent Medina and Louis Trevino for an exclusive Q&A discussion and planetarium viewing of mur taaraxtak—Ohlone Skies on Friday, August 29 from 7pm–9:30pm at the Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland.

"After more than a year of development with our Ohlone people and our fantastic partners at the Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland, history was made: the premiere of the first-ever Ohlone planetarium show, mur taaraxtak—Ohlone Skies," writes Vincent in Bay Nature's Summer 2025 issue. "Our goals with mur taaraxtak were to build respect for and understanding of our Ohlone people and our intimate knowledge of the astronomical beings above us. We wanted to elevate the specificity of our culture: to teach that the East Bay is an ancient place and that the Ohlone people have always been right here in our beloved, gorgeous homeland."

Following the planetarium show, Bay Nature editor-in-chief Victoria Schlesinger will moderate a Q&A discussion with Louis and Vincent, after which attendees will have the opportunity to stargaze through the Chabot Space & Science Center's telescopes, weather permitting. Tickets are $40 for Bay Nature Members through July 25 (so, Members, buy your ticket soon!), and $50 for non-members.

Meet Your Event Leaders:

Vincent Medina, president of the Ohlone Indian Tribe and leader of the UC Berkeley ‘ottoy Initiative, is an East Bay Ohlone man born and raised within his ancestral homeland, halkin (hall-keen), which encompasses the heart of the East Bay. With his partner, Louis Trevino, Vincent founded the cultural institution mak-'amham, the internationally acclaimed Cafe Ohlone, and the mak-warép Ohlone Land Conservancy. A thought leader engaged with science centers and museums across the Bay Area, including the Lawrence Hall of Science, the California Academy of Sciences, the Chabot Space & Science Center, and the Exploratorium, Vincent is reshaping public discourse on the complexity of Ohlone knowledge.

Louis Trevino, leader of the UC Berkeley ‘ottoy Initiative and first gentleman of the Ohlone Indian Tribe, is an Ohlone cultural leader. Under the leadership of his partner Vincent Medina, Louis co-founded the cultural institution mak-'amham; the internationally acclaimed Cafe Ohlone; and the mak-warép Ohlone Land Conservancy. Louis is an integral part of relationship building with science centers and museums across the Bay Area, including the Lawrence Hall of Science, the California Academy of Sciences, the Chabot Space & Science Center, and the Exploratorium.

Victoria Schlesinger has been Bay Nature's editor-in-chief since 2015. Growing up in the Bay Area, her first overnight hiking trip was from the oak-covered Peninsula School campus in Menlo Park through the redwoods in Huddart Park and down to the sands of Tunitas Beach along with a gaggle of 40 other third and fourth graders. She’s been hooked on the outdoors ever since. Victoria worked as a raft guide in Colorado, a backpacking counselor in the Trinity Alps, and spent the better part of her 20s researching and writing a book about ecology in Central America. Her journalism career began at California Wild magazine and the Point Reyes Light newspaper, and she has since earned two master’s degrees from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Her articles have appeared in Harper’s Magazine, Mother Jones, Audubon and The New York Times, among many other outlets, and she’s been on staff with Discover, PBS Frontline, Plenty, and California Lawyer. Victoria lives in Berkeley with her husband and daughter.

Event Location: We will meet up at the Chabot Space & Science Center at 10000 Skyline Blvd, Oakland, CA 94619 (Google Maps link).

Event Schedule:

7pm–8pm: Introductions and planetarium viewing of mur taaraxtak—Ohlone Skies

8pm–8:45pm: Q&A with Vincent and Louis, moderated by Victoria

8:45pm–9:30pm: Telescope viewing outside at Chabot 

Parking: Parking is available at Chabot Observatory at the address above. Please park in the main parking structure and enter through the main building entrance. 

Weather Note: Most of the event will take place indoors in the planetarium, but the telescope viewing takes place outdoors (weather permitting), so please bring warm layers and be prepared for colder evening temperatures if you plan to join for the telescope viewing portion.

Access to restrooms: Bathrooms available in the Chabot Space and Science Center. 

Other notes: Please plan to arrive 10-15 minutes early since the program will begin right at 7pm.

Photo by Jacob Saffarian, for the Spring 2025 mur taraaxtak—Ohlone Skies piece.

Chabot Space & Science Center is not a sponsor or beneficiary of this event.