Tribes in Southern California are worried that an upcoming fair will damage a park that is home to ancient sites and plants used for basket weaving.

The first annual Midsummer Renaissance Faire will be held over two weekends at the Idyllwild Park Nature Center. It is meant to boost tourism in Idyllwild.

But tribes say heavy traffic in the park will harm important sites like a 600-year old Cahuilla pictograph and a large rock that was used to grind acorns. The park is also home to rare plants used in tribal basket weaving.

"We struggle so hard to maintain what's left of our people," Bennae Calac, the cultural resource director for the Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians, told The Riverside Press-Enterprise. "We don't want to be living through books, we want to be able to come here and show it to our people."

The Idyllwild Chamber of Commerce supports the fair [Event Info]. An estimated 500 to 700 people are expected to attend every day.

Get the Story:
Critics want meadow protected (The Riverside Press-Enterprise 6/8)
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Relevant Links:
Idyllwild Park Nature Center - http://www.idyllwildnaturecenter.net
Idyllwild Chamber of Commerce - http://www.idyllwildchamber.com