Overview
- Gavin Newsom announced the transfer of 17,030 acres in Tulare County to the Tule River Indian Tribe, described as the largest ancestral land return in the Sierra foothills and Central Valley.
- The Conservation Fund acquired two former cattle ranches and, with support from CNRA’s Tribal Nature-Based Solutions program and the Wildlife Conservation Board, conveyed them to the tribe.
- Funding disclosed by state officials includes $7.75 million from the Tribal Nature-Based Solutions program and $2.4 million from the Wildlife Conservation Board, supplemented by private philanthropy, with the total price not released.
- The property adjoins the tribe’s 55,000-acre reservation in the Yowlumne Hills, connecting habitat between Giant Sequoia National Monument and San Joaquin Valley wetlands.
- Tule elk reintroduction is underway in partnership with CDFW, with elk released onto the reservation on Oct. 22, alongside broader watershed work projected to boost groundwater recharge, reduce flood risk, support disadvantaged downstream communities, and advance 30x30 conservation goals.