Dignitaries from the Cambodian government will be standing under the big trees of the Giant Forest in Sequoia National Forest on Tuesday to sign a five-year agreement establishing a "sister park" relationship between Sequoia National Park and the Samlaut Multiple Use Area in Cambodia.
Actress Angelina Jolie had everything to do with it.
"Without her, it could not happen," said Sopheaktra Nou of Fresno, executive director of the Fresno Cambodian Reconciliation Committee.
"She is a really kind lady. On behalf of the Cambodians of Fresno, I would like to thank Angelina Jolie and the staff of the Sequoia Kings National Parks."
Neither Jolie nor Brad Pitt, father of their daughter born in May, will attend, park officials said.
Because Pitt famously spent time in Three Rivers while married to Jennifer Aniston, locals have wondered whether Pitt played a role in uniting Cambodia with Sequoia, said parks spokeswoman Alexandra Picavet.
"We've all talked about it," Picavet said.
"It would be speculation on my part."
It's a fact that Jolie adopted a Cambodian child, now named Maddox, from Samlaut, Cambodia. Jolie established the Maddox Jolie Pitt environmental project to save the forests around Samlaut, where illegal logging and gem mining have ravaged the land.
The sister-park idea emerged when Stephan Bognar, executive director of the MJP project, contacted the National Park Service in December 2005 to ask whether it would train Samlaut's rangers.
"Stephan approached us with the idea of sister parks. We were delighted," said Pacific West region spokeswoman Holly Bundock.
Both parks have trespassers — Sequoia with marijuana growers, and Samlaut with loggers and miners, Bundock said.
The agreement allows park rangers from Cambodia to shadow Sequoia rangers.
The Cambodian Reconciliation Committee is sending a bus of 30 local Cambodians and students from California State University, Fresno, to attend the signing ceremony at 11a.m.
About 7,000 Cambodians live around Fresno, Nou said, and most have never been to the national park.
The Cambodian Dance Troupe from Fresno have perform a ceremonial dance. Buddhist monk Saray Keo from Fresno deliver a blessing in traditional robes.
U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia Joseph Mussomeli sign the agreement on behalf of the United States.
ARTISTS MAKE CUT: Artists John Sundstrom of Woodlake and Varian Mace of Visalia each had artwork accepted into the 51st Annual International Open Exhibition "Bold Expressions," running Oct. 3-28 at the Sacramento Fine Arts Center.
Only 100 pieces were accepted into the juried show. Submissions came from across the country and worldwide. Sundstrom's is a mixed media from his kimono series, and Mace got the nod for an abstract watercolor. Lewis Griswold's column appears Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. He can be reached at
Source URL:http://www.crcfresno.org/node/33Links:[1] http://www.crcfresno.org/mailto:lgriswold@fresnobee.com
