Over 200 hectares of California redwood forest returned to Indigenous owners
By Lucy Jones 9 February 2022
The area is home to old-growth trees and endangered animals including the northern spotted owl and the marbled murrelet.
Hundreds of hectares of redwood forest in California has been returned to its traditional Native owners who were forcibly removed from the land centuries ago.
The 215-hectare stretch of forest was handed back to the InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council this month, a group of ten Northern Californian tribal nations that will work to preserve its environmental and cultural value.
The forest's original name Tc'ih-Léh-Dûñ, meaning "Fish Run Place" in the Sinkyone language, will also be restored.
"Renaming the property Tc'ih-Léh-Dûñ lets people know that it's a sacred place; it's a place for our Native people," Sinkyone Council board member Crista Ray said in a statement.
"It lets them know that there was a language and that there was a people who lived there long before now."
The land provides critical habitat to endangered animals including the northern spotted owl and the marbled murrelet — a small seabird that nests in old-growth forests.
The Sinkyone Wilderness Council will take over conservation of this environment using "a blend of Indigenous place-based land guardianship principles, conservation science, climate adaptation and fire resiliency concepts and approaches".
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Lucy started her career working as a writer and editor in print and digital publishing. She went on to create content for Australia's leading sustainable fashion platform while completing her Master of Cultural Studies. Lucy spends her downtime at the beach, crocheting and hanging out with her cat Larry. She believes words can change the world and is stoked to help Planet Ark spread the message of positive environmental change.
