The Yurok Tribe achieved a historic victory by reclaiming 73 square miles of their ancestral lands along the Klamath River after 23 years of dedicated efforts and an investment of $56 million. This accomplishment, resulting from a partnership with Western Rivers Conservancy and several environmental organizations, marks the largest land-back conservation deal in California's history. The tribe's connection to these lands is steeped in tradition, and this return signifies a profound reclamation of their heritage and identity, reversing a history of land dispossession dating back to the California Gold Rush.
"Snorkeling Blue Creek ... I felt the significance of that place to myself and to our people, and I knew then that we had to do whatever we could to try and get that back."
"To go from when I was a kid and 20 years ago even, from being afraid to go out there to having it be back in tribal hands ... is incredible."
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