Tule River Indian Tribe Regains Ancestral Land After More Than a Century

Tule River Reservation, Calif. – The Tule River Indian Tribe and The Conservation Fund reached a major milestone in a collaborative land protection initiative today that restores the ownership of nearly 15,000 acres of ancestral land between the Tribe’s reservation and Giant Sequoia National Monument. The expansion increases the Tribe’s land in the foothills of the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains, unlocking new opportunities for cultural and environmental stewardship.

The initiative was made possible when the former Hershey Ranch – a 14,673-acre property used to graze cattle – was put up for sale in 2023. The Tule River Tribe and The Conservation Fund joined forces to protect the land and return it to the Tribe’s ownership. The Conservation Fund purchased and protected the property in 2024 to remove it from the private real estate market and support the Tribe’s future acquisition.

“The Tribe is thrilled to reclaim the land relinquished under the unratified Treaty of Paint Creek in 1851. We are eager to once again care for these ancestral lands, which our people have called home and stewarded for thousands of years,” says Charmaine McDarment, Tribal Councilmember, Tule River Indian Tribe.  

The reunification makes way for the Tribe’s plans for integrated land management and expanded cultural access, including… 

• Protecting land for the Yowlumne gray wolf pack known as the southernmost pack in California. 
• Maintaining land for the California Condor – back from the brink of extinction and recently reestablished in the southern Sierra Nevada foothills. 
• Reintroducing tule elk and beaver – animals of great cultural and ecological importance that have been absent from this landscape for decades.   
• Expanding the gathering of traditional foods, medicines, and cultural materials among Tribal youth.   
• Restoring meadows and streams to improve groundwater recharge and reduce winter flooding.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to support the Tule River Indian Tribe in regaining a portion of their ancestral lands. Our team plans to continue this work in 2025 by completing an additional project that would restore an additional 2,300 acres of land to the Tribe for permanent stewardship,” says Ben Fryer, project manager at The Conservation Fund.

The Tribe’s acquisition was supported by the California Wildlife Conservation Board, the California Natural Resources Agency, and private funders at The Wyss Foundation and Holdfast Collective.

About The Conservation Fund
The Conservation Fund protects the land that sustains us all. We are in the business of conservation, creating innovative solutions that drive nature-based action in all 50 states for climate protection, vibrant communities and sustainable economies. We apply effective strategies, efficient financing approaches and enduring government, community and private partnerships to protect millions of acres of America’s natural land, cultural sites, recreation areas and working forests and farms. To learn more, visit www.conservationfund.org.

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