The Wintu Tribe, located in Northern California, is not recognized by the federal government as a Native American tribe. The Wintu have made recycling of electronics a primary focus and offer grants to nonprofits in the local area for this purpose. Services are also available for businesses for a fee, including assured destruction, with witnesses, of proprietary software and hardware. Destruction certification is provided.
The Wintus
The tribe's ancestral territory ranges from Mount Shasta in the Cascades, encompassing Shasta and Trinity counties along with part of Tehama and Siskiyou counties. When the Shasta Dam was created in the 1940s, the largest community in population dissolved, as the land is now the bottom of Shasta Lake. At the time of publication, the Wintu Tribe has approximately 440 members. The community focuses on local environmental concerns when considering grant applications.
Toyon Center Facility
Although the tribe does not currently have federal recognition, it regularly petitions the government and local representatives to receive such designation. It was granted access to the Toyon Center in Shasta Lake City by the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, originally built for workers during the construction of the dam. The recycling grants offered to the local community also aid the tribe by providing jobs for its young people. In addition to employment, the tribe focuses on education and combating a historically high drop-out rate among its youth.
Computer Grant Recycling
The Wintu Tribe provides a computer grant program for non-profit 501(c) organizations in Shasta County. Eligible groups may receive recycled computers, which the tribe repairs and reprograms, eliminating any previous data stored on the machines. Licensed by Microsoft as a recycler, only legal software is used on these recycled computers.
Computer Recipients
At the time of publication, the Wintu Tribe has provided various local nonprofits with recycled computers. This includes the Rowell Family Empowerment of Northern California, which aids families with children diagnosed with autism, Down Syndrome and other developmental disabilities. Other recipients include the Evergreen Charter School, chapters of the International Police Association, the Forever Pets adoption program and the Hepatitis C Task Force of Northern California. Any registered charity in Shasta County is eligible to apply for a recycled computer grant.
