Over the past decade, the Northern Sierra Partnership has been working with Tribal partners in the Northern Sierra—the Mountain Maidu and Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California—to identify and pursue opportunities to return land to their ownership.

One of those opportunities is now becoming a reality.

The Washoe Land Back Project is a multi-year collaboration between the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, Feather River Land Trust, and the Northern Sierra Partnership to restore ecologically and culturally significant landscapes in the homelands of the wélmeltiɁ (Northern Washoe People) to the ownership of the Washoe Tribe through the newly established Wášiw-šiw Land Trust.

On November 20th, the Wildlife Conservation Board awarded $5.5 million to the Wášiw-šiw Land Trust to support the purchase of 10,274 acres known as Loyalton Ranch. Located at the convergence of the Great Basin and Sierra Nevada, this landscape encompasses forests, sagebrush, meadows, springs, and creeks, and supports a remarkable diversity of wildlife—from pronghorn and mule deer to beaver, sandhill cranes, and gray wolves that are just starting to return to the Northern Sierra. The lands to be acquired are largely surrounded by existing public lands managed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management. The investment of state and federal agencies protecting the surrounding landscape speaks to the high conservation value of this area—making its return to Washoe stewardship both ecologically strategic and culturally essential, creating critical connectivity for wildlife movement and ecosystem health.

But the work isn't finished. The Feather River Land Trust and the Northern Sierra Partnership are working with the Wášiw-šiw Land Trust to raise $8.6 million to acquire and steward the 10,274-acre property: $6 million for the acquisition and $2.6 million for stewardship. The grant from the Wildlife Conservation Board will cover the bulk of the purchase price, but we still need to raise the $2.6 million to care for these lands once they are acquired in January.

In the coming months, we will support the Tribe as they develop restoration plans, begin the long-term work of healing the land, and hire staff and leadership to drive this effort forward.

To find out how you can support this historic land return project, please contact NSP President, Lucy Blake, at lblake@northernsierrapartnership.org. Your support is welcome and much needed!