Yesterday brought some great news about the Esselen tribe, of whom I just learned through the same news, winning back a sliver of land that was once theirs, through the help of the Western Rivers Conservancy (WRC). You can read all about it in the CNN article linked below. I am glad that WRC got them a grant through the California Natural Resources Agency to accomplish this. But, look at the price tag! $4.5 mn dollars!! Granted, in the Big Sur area, that could be considered a bargain for 1,200 acres.
Through Save the Redwoods League and other such organizations, I realize just how difficult protecting Old Growth Redwood forests can be. So, this is another reason to think it is a big win. Yet, in the grand scheme of things, that is a really small amount of land, ostensibly also being protected from commercial development. We all know that most land cannot be returned to Native Populations. How many multiples of $4.5 mn dollars will it take to save slivers of land and provide them to the Native Americans?
Indeed, before, during and after my certification program, I learned repeatedly that Native Americans then and now, continue to be great stewards of nature. So, it would be a great idea to recognize their losses, and turn over land. It is just that we probably need better models and approaches.
I still think what WRC has done here is remarkable indeed! I am conflicted, yet happy, that over two and a half centuries, the tribe finally has land of their own!!
References:
- CNN on the land transaction: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/native-american-tribe-big-sur-ancestral-lands-trnd/index.html
- WRC’s own press release: http://www.westernrivers.org/images/news/304/2020-07-27%20Little%20Sur%20Press%20Release.pdf
