Largest Land Back Deal in California History Returns 47,000 Acres to Yurok Tribe

In a historic victory for Indigenous land reclamation, more than 47,000 acres along Northern California’s Klamath River have been returned to the Yurok Tribe, marking the largest land back deal in California history.

The land—over three times the size of Manhattan—was acquired after a 23-year partnership between the Yurok Tribe and the Western Rivers Conservancy. Now known as the Blue Creek Salmon Sanctuary and Yurok Tribal Community Forest, the land is fully owned and managed by the Yurok people.

The watershed is sacred to the tribe and serves as a critical thermal refuge and spawning ground for salmon, especially Chinook and Coho.

The tribe’s management plan includes restoring biodiversity, removing invasive species, reintroducing prescribed burns, and improving salmon habitat. The land had suffered decades of ecological degradation from industrial logging after settlers violently displaced the Yurok people more than a century ago.

Funded through $56 million in grants and public programs, the deal began in 2002 when timber company Green Diamond approached the conservancy with the idea of returning the land.

The Yurok Tribe hopes this project can serve as a blueprint for land back efforts across the country.