State Parks Invites the Public to Help Shape the Future Story of Metini-Fort Ross
Metini-Fort Ross is one of the oldest parks in the State Parks System and is launching a public engagement effort to help shape the development of an Interpretation Master Plan. Photos from California State Parks.
JENNER — California State Parks today announced the launch of public outreach efforts for the Metini-Fort Ross Interpretation Master Plan (IMP) Engagement Project. State Parks invites the public to help shape the future of interpretation at Fort Ross State Historic Park (SHP) by filling out an online survey. The survey will close on Feb. 16, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.
A Commitment to Inclusive Interpretation
The development of a new IMP aligns with ongoing State Parks initiatives to improve the accuracy, inclusion and relevance of interpretation across the State Parks System as part of Reexamining Our Past and other department initiatives.
The IMP will guide interpretation across the park, the assessment of existing interpretation, and the development of new interpretation. The IMP will replace the interpretive direction established in the Fort Ross SHP General Plan, which is more than 50 years old and focuses primarily on the history of the Russian settlement and colony of Fort Ross, at the expense of a broader and inclusive interpretation of the site. Key goals of the engagement project and IMP include elevating tribal voices and highlighting the site’s layered history. As part of the IMP engagement process, State Parks will undertake formal government-to-government consultation with Tribal governments and will work in close partnership through a co-creative process with the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians of Stewarts Point Rancheria.
In addition to the online survey, State Parks is engaging with a cohort of stakeholders and experts through focus groups and individual interviews. Alongside tribal co-creation and findings from the online survey, these efforts will help to build a framework for subsequent development of the IMP.
A Rich Cultural Landscape
Metini-Fort Ross is located on a dramatic stretch of the Sonoma Coast, where forested ridges meet rocky bluffs, coves and marine terraces above the Pacific Ocean. The park lies within the homeland of the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians, who have lived along this coast since time immemorial, and preserves the site of the southernmost Russian settlement in North America and the later Call Ranch. Within and around the historic fort compound, visitors encounter traces of these overlapping histories in the landscape, surviving buildings, cemetery, orchards and shoreline.
We Want to Hear From You!
As a site of statewide historical significance, we welcome input from local community members, visitors from across California and people who know Fort Ross from elsewhere. Please complete a survey by visiting this link. Your response will help to identify important topics, priorities, programs, goals and more for the Fort Ross SHP IMP.
Note: The official name of the park unit is “Fort Ross State Historic Park.” Park names are established by the State Park and Recreation Commission as outlined by California Law. You can learn more about the State Park and Recreation Commission by visiting this link.
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