A single dawn broke through the coastal fog at Prairie Creek in northern California: for the Yurok Tribe it was the first breath of homecoming in more than a century.
Nestled beneath towering redwoods and beside the placid waters of a creek restored from decades of industrial disruption, this stretch of land—called ’O Rew in the Yurok language—has become the epicentre of a historic transformation.
On 19 March 2024, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Yurok Tribe, the Save the Redwoods League, the National Park Service and California State Parks, marking the first time in U.S. history that Native-owned land will be co-managed by federal and state park agencies.
A Watershed Moment, Literally And Metaphorically
Walking through the forest here, one might spot juvenile coho salmon spiralling up a newly re-meandering channel of Prairie Creek, or see Yurok crews pruning non-native species, planting redwoods, and rebuilding the floodplain that was once paved for a lumber mill. This land is more than soil and trees—it is heritage, memory and hope.
For the Yurok people, whose ancestral territory spans the lower reaches of the Klamath River in California, the site holds profound significance. The area known as ’O Rew lies almost at the heart of their homelands.
The land, once stripped for timber and scarred by mill-roads and highway construction, is being allowed to heal—and by the hands of those who have long understood its rhythms.
The agreement paves the way for the transfer of the 125-acre parcel in 2026, once the restoration is complete.
Yurok Chairman Joseph L. James summarised the moment thus: “Together, we are creating a new conservation model that recognises the value of tribal land management.”
Breaking Precedents, Healing Landscapes
The ownership transfer may cover a modest 125 acres in the first instance, yet its symbolism is vast. National Parks and State Parks have long existed on indigenous lands—now, for the first time, they will be working within a framework where a tribe owns the land and co-stewards it.
The functional restoration at Prairie Creek has already begun: tribal crews and partners have built a nearly-mile-long stream channel, connected ponds and roughly 20 acres of floodplain habitat. Over 50,000 native plants—including coast redwood, black cottonwood and slough sedge—have been planted.
The shift also runs counter to centuries of extraction: after the Gold Rush of the mid-1800s, the Yurok lost approximately 90 % of their territory.
Between Ecosystem And Culture: A Living Continuum
This project is not just about land-back—it’s about returning stewardship and relationship. The Yurok view redwoods as living beings and only traditionally use fallen trees to build their canoes and long-houses.
At ’O Rew the vision extends beyond ecological restoration: a Yurok cultural centre and visitor gateway are planned, as well as new trail systems that connect into the glades of Redwood National and State Parks.
Council member Phillip Williams, who once worked at the sawmill that operated on the site, touched this convergence: “In ancient times, it would have been a meeting place ’cause all of our trails converge at that one area.”
A Broader-Sweep Return: The Blue Creek Triumph
While the 125-acre site is symbolic and vital, the Yurok’s momentum extends much further. On 5 June 2025, the Yurok Tribe completed a transfer of 47,097 acres (about 73 square miles) known as the Blue Creek watershed—along the Klamath River—to its ownership.
This transfer, at a price of US$56 million, more than doubled the Tribe’s land holdings and has been described as the largest “land-back” conservation deal in California history.
Blue Creek is not simply acreage—it is a cold-water lifeline for coho and Chinook salmon in the Klamath system, a habitat for rare birds and mammals, and a spiritual anchor for the Yurok people.
Fisheries director Barry McCovey Jr. reflected:
“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.”
Why This Matters — And What It Teaches
This story resonates for three intertwined reasons:
1. Ecological Resilience – Indigenous-stewarded landscapes are increasingly recognised for their ecological integrity and climate resilience. “Management of a forest to grow conifers for sale is very different from thinking about the ecosystem and the different plants and animals and people as part of it,” noted a UC Davis scholar.
2. Cultural Restoration – Reclaiming land is an act of justice, but it also reconnects a people to their historic practice, culture and meaning-making. “As we are healing the land, it’s healing ourselves,” said Chairman Joseph James.
3. New Models Of Conservation – The co-stewardship agreement at ’O Rew, and the wholesale land-back at Blue Creek, illustrate a new paradigm: tribes owning, managing and designing conservation together with state and federal agencies. “This is work that we’ve always done … but I feel like the rest of the world is catching up right now,” remarked Rosie Clayburn.
Looking Ahead
There is cause for optimism, yet the path is neither simple nor swift. The restoration of soils, streams, prairies and forests takes decades.
In the Blue Creek deal, some tribal leaders already say they may not live to see the full arc of recovery—and that’s fine. “I’m not doing this for myself,” said fisheries director McCovey.
For visitors, the gateway at ’O Rew will offer more than a trailhead: it will be a portal to a deeper forest story, one where the human voice is rooted, respectful and regenerative.
For younger Yurok, this is an invitation to walk again on ancestral ground, to see salmon once more spawn in reclaimed creek beds, to breathe redwood air as their elders once did.
And for everyone bearing witness, it is a reminder that when guardianship and wisdom meet policy and capital, both humans and landscapes can flourish. The Yurok have shown how “land returned” can be more than restitution—it can be renaissance.
Sources:
AP News
The Guardian
Mynspr
