Landback deal returns more than 17,000 acres to Yurok Tribe

More than 17,000 acres along the Klamath River have been returned to the Yurok Tribe, completing the largest landback deal in California history, according to Grist. The land includes the lower Blue Creek watershed and is part of a $56 million, 47,097-acre transfer that nearly doubles the Yurok Tribe’s current land holdings.

The Yurok Tribe partnered with the Western Rivers Conservancy for two decades to reclaim the land. Joseph James, chairman of the Yurok Tribal Council, said, “No words can describe how we feel knowing that our land is coming back to the ownership of the Yurok people.” The tribe has designated the land as a salmon sanctuary and community forest and plans to place it into a trust for future generations.