“We’re not complete until we gain back [the] land and gain back the ability to manage that land,” said Rosie Clayburn—a member of the Yurok Tribe and tribal heritage preservation officer—about a 2,000-acre parcel of land surrounding Ke’pel Creek, a tributary of the Klamath River. The creek and much of the Klamath River artery are part of the Yurok’s ancestral homelands. But the tribe lost 1.49 million acres of that land over a 130-year span.  

“Ke’pel Creek is prime for hunting and gathering and ceremonial use,” says Clayborn. But until recently, those activities would have been considered trespassing because much of the land was privately owned.   

In 2018, 7,000 acres along Ke’pel Creek went up for sale. New Forests (a forestry company that works with tribal governments) bought the tract, intending to repatriate the 2,424 acres of Yurok ancestral land within it to the tribe. With technical support from Trust for Public Land, the Yurok Tribe applied for funding from the State of California to fund the acquisition and regain ownership of the land.  

The culturally and ecologically significant timberlands in Northern California were transferred back to the Yurok Tribe for permanent ownership in 2021. With 6,311 enrolled members, the Yurok Tribe is California’s largest federally recognized tribe. They have long resided in Northern California and holistically manage more than 75,000 acres of forest along the Klamath River.   

The recently acquired land contains highly valued mature evergreen trees that are vital for carbon sequestration and provide ideal habitat for local wildlife, including the imperilled fisher and Humboldt martens. This land also includes forestlands and prairie surrounding Ke’pel Creek.  

“The Ke’pel Creek watershed has an immense biological and cultural value,” says Joseph L. James, chairman of the Yurok Tribe. “We sincerely thank Trust for Public Land and New Forests for helping us regain this incredibly important property. Wok-hlew [thank you]. This watershed is invaluable to us because it provides drinking water to our families and is adjacent to an ongoing forest restoration project site. Now we will be able to extend the project to create several thousand continuous acres of productive habitat, where deer, elk, and many other species will thrive. It is a good day for the Yurok people.” 

Trust for Public Land has a long history of working with tribal communities in California to return culturally important land, including the Sinkyone Wilderness and the Kashia Coastal Reserve.