The Tule River Indian Tribe has reclaimed 17,030 acres of its ancestral land in Tulare County, the largest ancestral land return in the history of the Central Valley and Sierra Nevada foothills region.
The tribe, whose ancestors have lived in the area for thousands of years, maintain a 55,000-acre reservation east of Porterville. The new acreage is on the south end of the reservation.
“This land return demonstrates the very essence of tribal land restoration, which expands access to essential food and medicinal resources,” said Lester Nieto Jr., Tule River Tribal Council chairman. “It also supports the ongoing preservation of cultural sites, deepens environmental stewardship, and restores wildlife reintroduction efforts.
A land return ceremony on Oct. 29, attended by tribal leaders, state officials and members of the community, also celebrated the reintroduction of native elk and other wildlife into the area.
“Through the vision of Tule River Indian Tribe, we mark a culmination of ecological restoration achievement,” said Charlton Bonham, director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. “Tule elk have been returned to their historic range, beavers have been returned to their historic range, and the California condor’s historic range will be protected. These are all interlocking pieces of this ecosystem that will help restore the landscape.”
The land acquisition is the result of a partnership with the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA), the Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB), the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), and The Conservation Fund (TCF).
“The return of tule elk to these foothills shows what is possible when cultural resilience and conservation come together to build a healthier, more just California,” said Wade Crowfoot, secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency.”
CNRA’s Tribal Nature-Based Solutions Program, WCB’s Habitat Conservation Fund, and private philanthropic partners provided funding to acquire two cattle ranches and, with assistance from the state, transferred the land to the tribe.
“By working in partnership with the Tule River Indian Tribe to swiftly secure the former Hershey and Carothers Ranches, we protected a landscape that is central to the Tribe’s vision for cultural and ecological stewardship,” said Ben Fryer, senior field representative at The Conservation Fund.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: 17,030 acres returned to Tule River Indian Tribe
Reporting by Steve Pastis, Visalia Times-Delta / Visalia Times-Delta
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
