In a groundbreaking move that’s reshaping Sierra Nevada’s conservation landscape, the Washoe Tribe is about to reclaim over 10,000 acres of their ancestral lands, and they’re doing it with style and purpose.

The California Wildlife Conservation Board just dropped a game-changing $5.5 million grant to the Wášiw-šiw Land Trust, enabling a historic land purchase that goes way beyond typical property transactions. This isn’t just real estate; it’s cultural restoration.

A Landscape of Healing

The massive 10,274-acre Loyalton Ranch stretches from Long Valley to Sierra Valley, featuring everything from sagebrush scrublands to lush mountain meadows. It’s a wildlife paradise that hosts pronghorn, mule deer, mountain lions, and gray wolves, a living, breathing ecosystem that the Washoe people have managed for thousands of years.

More Than Just Land

Washoe Tribe Chairman Serrell Smokey puts it perfectly: “Getting the Washoe people back onto the land is healing for the people and for the land”. This acquisition represents more than a property purchase, it’s a powerful act of cultural reclamation and environmental stewardship.

The land, which includes critical resources like pinyon pine (devastated by recent wildfires), will be managed using traditional Washoe practices that have sustained this ecosystem for generations. Partners like the Northern Sierra Partnership and Feather River Land Trust have been crucial in making this vision a reality.

A Collaborative Vision

Jennifer Norris from the Wildlife Conservation Board captured the spirit perfectly: “This project reflects what’s possible when state, tribal, and conservation partners work together”. The purchase, expected to close in January 2026, is just the beginning. The Wášiw-šiw Land Trust hopes this is the first of several land returns in their northern homelands.

As Chairman Smokey reminds us, this is about bringing indigenous knowledge back to the land, a powerful reminder that true conservation isn’t just about protecting landscapes, but about honoring the people who have cared for them since time immemorial.