A land trust has restored 900 acres of land next to Yosemite National Park to the ownership of the indigenous Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation.
The Pacific Forest Trust acquired the Henness Ridge land parcel to do conservation work on its natural “mix of conifer forests, oak woodlands, meadows, and springs,” the land trust said.
The trust tried to get the parcel added to Yosemite National Park, since it fell within the original planned border for the park, but those efforts were blocked by Congress. Instead, with the aid of the California Natural Resources Agency, the trust decided to hand the land back to the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation, whose ancestors once lived in the Yosemite area.
“This land will be a sanctuary for our people. It allows us to restore cultural practices, bring our community together, and ensure a healthy legacy for future generations,” said Sandra Chapman, chair of the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation Tribal Council.
The indigenous group, which also operates the nonprofit American Indian Council of Mariposa County, has been seeking federal recognition since 1982.
Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation Tribal Secretary Tara Fouch-Moore told the Fresno Bee, “This transfer reunites our people to this unique area of our homeland after 175 years of displacement. We will be able to harvest and cultivate our traditional foods, fibers, and medicines and steward the land using traditional ecological knowledge.”
