Funded through California Natural Resource Agency’s Tribal Nature-Based Solutions Program, Wildlife Conservation Board’s Habitat Conservation Fund and private philanthropic partners, for the Tule River Indian Tribe, the return facilitated by The Conservation Fund restores sacred homelands, renews access to traditional foods and medicines and strengthens cultural continuity for future generations. In partnership with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Tribe will reintroduce tule elk absent from the foothills for decades, protect important habitat and sustain the recovery of the California condor. This shared wildlife management effort sets a model for future tribal and state collaboration.

The Tule River Indian Tribe land acquisition also safeguards vital watersheds that support downstream communities, wildlife and agricultural lands. The lands include much of the middle Deer Creek watershed, one of the last undammed waterways in the southern Sierra Nevada, which will be restored through the Tribe’s Yowlumni Hills Management Plan. These efforts will reconnect landscapes between the Giant Sequoia National Monument, the Tule River Indian Tribe Reservation and San Joaquin Valley wetlands, advancing California’s 30 by 30 conservation goals.

Restoration will also improve groundwater recharge, reduce flood risks, and secure water supplies for downstream disadvantaged San Joaquin-Tulare communities. By healing watersheds, enhancing resilience and expanding cultural access, this project delivers benefits far beyond Tribal boundaries, creating lasting protections for people, wildlife and lands across the region.

Tule River Indian Tribe

Lester R. Nieto Jr. "Shine", Chairman, Tule River Tribal Council said:

“The Tule River Tribe has a long history of asserting and affirming its sovereignty. This land return demonstrates the very essence of tribal land restoration, which expands access to essential food and medicinal resources. It also supports the ongoing preservation of cultural sites, deepens environmental stewardship and restores wildlife reintroduction efforts. The Tribe envisions this land located in the Yowlumne Hills as a place to gather, heal and simply be, for members of the Tule River Indian Tribe. We extend our sincere thanks to the California Natural Resources Agency, Wildlife Conservation Board, philanthropic partners and The Conservation Fund for their generous support of this land return.”

Governor Gavin Newsom said:

“The historical wrongs committed by the state against the Native people of this land echo through the natural worlds of California — ecosystems that lost their first and best stewards. Today marks a critical step in deepening the relationship between the state and the Tule River Indian Tribe, and works towards restoring the deep relationship between the Tribe and their ancestral lands.”

California Natural Resources Agency

Wade Crowfoot, Secretary, California Natural Resources Agency said:

“This land return reflects the very best of California, honoring Tribal leadership, reintroducing keystone wildlife and investing to help people and nature thrive together. 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. Moving forward, we are charting a future in which tribal leadership guides all we do to protect our lands, waters and wildlife.”

The Conservation Fund

Ben Fryer, Senior Field Representative, The Conservation Fund said:

“Californians can be proud of collaborative conservation projects like this one, and the role that all of us can play in bringing land return projects to life,” said Ben Fryer, senior field representative at The Conservation Fund. 

“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. We applaud and appreciate the State of California and the private philanthropic funders who stepped up to make this project possible.”

Wildlife Conservation Board

Jennifer Norris. Executive Director, Wildlife Conservation Board said:

“The Wildlife Conservation Board is honored to support the return of Hershey Ranch to the Tule River Indian Tribe. This project restores sovereignty and connection to ancestral lands while conserving thousands of acres of oak woodlands, grasslands and riparian habitat. It also strengthens wildlife corridors between the San Joaquin Valley and the Sierra Nevada, advancing both cultural and ecological resilience for generations to come.”

California Department of Fish and Wildlife

Charlton H. Bonham, Director, California Department of Fish and Wildlife said:

“Through the vision of Tule River Indian Tribe, we mark a culmination of ecological restoration achievement. 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.”

This historic land return was made possible through the dedication of many partners, with special thanks to the Power in Nature Coalition and the California Native Plant Society’s Alta Peak Chapter for their leadership in helping initiate this land return.

A land return ceremony will be held on Oct. 29 with tribal leaders, state partners and community members in attendance.