California is returning coastal land to indigenous tribes. ‘This is too much’
California is returning the rugged coastline of Mendocino County to the indigenous tribes whose ancestors once ruled its shores.
State transportation officials recently approved the transfer of Blues Beach and the surrounding bluffs to Kai Poma, a non-profit organization founded by representatives of the Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo Indians, the Round Valley Indian Tribes and the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians.
The transfer of 136 acres south of the community of Westport will mark the first time that land owned by the California Department of Transportation has been returned to indigenous tribes.
“This is more than big,” said J. Carlos Rivera, tribal chairman of the Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo Indians. “It’s huge from our tribal point of view that we’re basically getting the land that our people lived on before they were colonized.”
California bought a series of rocky cliffs and windswept coastline in the 1960s to expand the construction of Highway 1 and create a better view for highway travelers, according to a report by the California Coastal Commission.
Recently, public access has been largely unregulated, and summer weekends and holidays have attracted large groups camping and partying on the beach, sometimes driving into critical areas, damaging cultural sites and leaving litter, the report said.
Kai Poma plans to conduct cultural and archaeological resource studies and environmental surveys and then prepare a resource management plan for the area, in accordance with planning documents. The nonprofit organization and the Coastal Commission have drafted a public access management plan that says the land will be open from sunrise to sunset.
Rivera described the entire area as a sanctuary. The coastal waters are used by tribal people to collect seaweed and abalone, and the coast hosts cultural youth camps, he said. “Protecting the earth has a deep meaning for us because we are connected to the earth,” he said.
The effort to acquire the land took years – and required a change in the country’s law. Caltrans did not have the ability to transfer land to state governments until 2021, when Gov. Gavin Newsom signing a bill sponsored by state Sen. Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) that allowed the transfer, according to news releases at the time. The law also prohibits commercial activities in the area and requires public access to be maintained.
“With 136 acres now officially transferred to tribal stewardship, one of the Mendocino Coast’s most beautiful areas will be protected forever,” McGuire said in a statement.
“This treaty, the first of its kind in California, gives these three Native American tribes the perfect opportunity to restore sacred lands and cultures to this special part of the world. And it’s about time.”
The land transfer cleared its final regulatory hurdle on June 26 with approval from the California Transportation Commission, said Neil Thapar, an attorney who serves as counsel and legal counsel to Kai Poma. Caltrans staff will next record a deed to transfer the title from the state of California to Kai Poma, which is expected to happen any day, he said.
