An 84-acre stretch of Northern California wetlands and wildlife habitat has been returned to Indigenous stewardship, with the Big Sur Land Trust transferring the Monterey County property to a Native American tribe with deep ancestral ties to the region.
The nonprofit conservation organization handed over the land near Highway 68 in Monterey to the Ohlone/Costanoan-Esselen Nation, known as OCEN, after buying the property in 2024 for $2.75 million.
Known locally as the Hiss Parcel, the 84-acre site was acquired through a conservation and restoration initiative designed not only to protect sensitive natural resources, but also to return the land to its original caretakers.
“The tribe is really interested in being able to celebrate their culture here and to provide a gathering space for their people,” the Vice President of Conservation for the Big Sur Land Trust told KSBW 8.
“This is the first time that our tribe actually acquired some land for us to have for ourselves to do something, you know, here in Monterey, where our tribe is located,” she continued.
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OCEN is not federally recognized, which means the tribe has not had reservation land set aside by the federal government. Even so, the Ohlone/Costanoan-Esselen people have lived in what is now Monterey County for thousands of years, long before Spanish colonization reshaped the area.
The property sits on the south side of Highway 68, across from Monterey Regional Airport, and forms an important natural link between protected landscapes including Fort Ord National Monument and Jacks Peak County Park. It also helps preserve portions of the Canyon Del Rey watershed.
“The conservation values of this acquisition are substantial. By preventing potential development, we are protecting important habitats that are part of a valuable wildlife corridor. Deer, coyote, and black bears have been spotted on the land,” the CEO of Big Sur Land Trust said in a 2024 press release.
This comes after California approved the transfer of a popular 136-acre coastal land to three Indigenous tribes in July.
The coastline, which includes Blues Beach and surrounding bluffs in Mendocino County, was returned to Kai Poma–a non-profit entity managed by three local tribes.
Three local tribes are the Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo Indians, Round Valley Indian Tribes, and the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians.
