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- By Chez Oxendine
- Energy | Environment
Violet Sage Walker, chairwoman of the Northern Chumash Tribal Council, earned a spot on TIME magazine's prestigious TIME100 Climate list, which recognizes 100 highly influential leaders driving business climate action worldwide.
The 2025 list includes Pope Leo XIV, King Charles III, actor Samuel L. Jackson, President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of the European Central Bank Christine Lagarde and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Walker’s recognition follows years of advocacy to establish the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary, a campaign she began with her father, Chief Fred Collins, in 2015, according to prior reporting by Tribal Business News.
“This recognition is really about what we can accomplish when we work together to protect the ocean and the places that define who we are,” Walker said in a statement.
The sanctuary designation, finalized by the Biden administration in November 2024, protects more than 4,500 square miles of ocean waters, seafloor and coastline off central California. Walker continued the effort after Collins' death in 2021, telling Tribal Business News that the sanctuary would safeguard marine ecosystems and honor Chumash heritage.
Walker's honors also include accolades from the Peter Benchley Ocean Awards and the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA). In a press release, TIME highlighted Walker's work as an example of Indigenous-led climate stewardship, citing her role in advancing conservation, cultural restoration and ecological resilience.
In addition to her sanctuary work, Walker advocates for the tribe's purchase of Dos Pueblos Ranch on the Gaviota Coast, a site she described as culturally significant and ecologically diverse, with tidal zones and a year-round stream, according to the tribe's press release.
“With momentum growing and international attention focused on climate leadership, Walker's recognition marks an important milestone for the Central Coast and for community-led conservation across the country,” the tribe wrote.
