Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation reclaims 900 acres of ancestral Yosemite land

Nearly 900 acres of land bordering Yosemite National Park have been officially transferred back to the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation—a return of territory their people stewarded for generations before forced removal in the 19th and 20th centuries. The property includes Henness Ridge, a landscape so culturally significant it once formed part of the traditional trail into Yosemite Valley itself.

For the Miwuk community, this isn't about reclaiming acreage. It's about reclaiming a relationship. "Having this significant piece of our ancestral Yosemite land back will bring our community together to celebrate tradition and provide a healing place for our children and grandchildren," said Sandra Chapman, Tribal Council Chair. "It will be a sanctuary for our people."

The transfer came through Pacific Forest Trust, a conservation organization with a history of genuine partnership with Indigenous nations. Funding from California's Tribal Nature-Based Solutions Program made it possible—a program designed specifically to support Indigenous-led conservation and climate resilience. This isn't new territory for the trust; they pioneered the first-ever conservation easement with tribal entities back in the 1990s, working with the InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council. What's changing is the scale and momentum of these partnerships.

Why Henness Ridge Matters

The land sits just west of State Highway 41, offering views across to Yosemite Valley and the Wild and Scenic Merced River. Ecologically, it's rich—historically a corridor for deer migration and other wildlife. Culturally, it's foundational. For decades, federal oversight banned or displaced the traditional practices that once defined life here: harvesting traditional foods and medicines, conducting ceremonies, teaching land-based knowledge to younger generations.

Tribal Secretary Tara Fouch-Moore laid out what's now possible: "We will be able to harvest and cultivate our traditional foods, fibers, and medicines and steward the land using traditional ecological knowledge, strengthening our relationships with plants and wildlife, and benefiting everyone by restoring a more resilient and abundant landscape."

There's a particular resonance to the timing. The last Miwuk people living in Yosemite Valley were evicted by the National Park Service in 1969. More than five decades later, the community now has the legal right to return, to gather, to care for the land on their own terms.

The Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation plans to use Henness Ridge for food sovereignty, ceremonial practice, and education rooted in the landscape itself. They'll also play an active role protecting the tributaries feeding the South Fork of the Merced River—a water source protected under federal law, which means their stewardship has real ecological consequence.

This transfer is part of a broader shift happening across the United States. Indigenous land-back initiatives are gaining momentum, and examples like this one show what becomes possible when environmental conservation and Indigenous leadership align. The Miwuk return demonstrates that protecting ecosystems and restoring justice aren't separate goals—they're the same work, viewed from different angles.

For the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation, Henness Ridge is the beginning. A space where community healing, ecological restoration, and generations of knowledge can take root again.