A well-known piece of California’s rugged North Coast is set to return to Indigenous stewardship, after a state commission backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom approved the transfer of a popular Mendocino County beach to three tribes.
The 136-acre property includes Blues Beach and the striking coastal bluffs just south of Westport. It will be transferred to Kai Poma, a nonprofit representing the Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo Indians, the Round Valley Indian Tribes and the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians.
The California Transportation Commission granted final regulatory approval for the transfer on June 26, marking the first time land managed by the California Department of Transportation has been returned to Indigenous tribes.
California acquired the windswept shoreline and rocky cliffs in the 1960s as part of plans to expand Highway 1 and create a scenic overlook for drivers, according to a California Coastal Commission report.
Over the years, however, the site became a destination for largely unmanaged public use.
The report noted that summer visitors and holiday weekend crowds often camped and held parties at the beach. Some drove through environmentally sensitive areas, damaged cultural resources and left trash behind.
Kai Poma plans to start with cultural and archaeological studies, along with environmental surveys, before creating a long-term resource management plan for the land, according to planning documents.
The nonprofit has also coordinated with the California Coastal Commission on a public access management plan that would keep the property open to visitors from sunrise to sunset.
The transfer required years of work and a change in California law.
Until 2021, Caltrans did not have the legal authority to convey state-owned land to tribal governments.
That changed after Newsom signed legislation sponsored by state Sen. Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg), allowing such transfers.
The law also prohibits commercial development on the property while guaranteeing continued public access.
