Esselen Tribe of Monterey County secures funding to reclaim ancestral Tularcitos Creek lands in partnership with The Wildlands Conservancy
Tularcitos Property / photo by The Wildlands Conservancy
CARMEL VALLEY, Ca. — The Esselen Tribe of Monterey County and The Wildlands Conservancy announced today a major milestone in the return of ancestral Esselen lands. With funding now secured from the California Wildlife Conservation Board and the California State Coastal Conservancy, the Tribe is poised to reclaim 1,720 acres of culturally and ecologically significant lands along Tularcitos Creek in the Upper Carmel Valley, Monterey County. The Wildlands Conservancy is serving as a key “bridge” partner, and has created the opportunity for the Tribe’s purchase over a three year period.
The property hosts oak savanna and riparian corridors and is home to sacred cultural sites including ancient village locations, bedrock mortars and traditional gathering areas. Among these is “Cappanay”, one of the largest and farthest inland known Esselen village sites. In the Esselen language, Cappanay means “little tules,” referencing the native plants that once thrived along the creeks, vernal pools and wetlands among the rolling oak-covered hills.
For the Esselen Tribe, this return represents a profound act of healing and cultural reconnection.
“This land is part of who we are. Returning it to Esselen stewardship is an act of healing — for our people, for the land itself and for the broader community,” said Tom Little Bear Nason, tribal chairman of the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County. “We are grateful to The Wildlands Conservancy for standing with us in this journey, and to our partners at the Wildlife Conservation Board, the State Coastal Conservancy, and the many advocates who understand that true conservation must include Indigenous leadership.”
The Wildlands Conservancy acquired the Tularcitos Creek parcels with private financing in 2023, with the goal of returning the land to its original stewards. Today’s milestone brings that vision closer to reality.
“This is one of the most meaningful projects we’ve had the privilege to be part of,” said Frazier Haney, executive director of The Wildlands Conservancy. “We are honored to continue our partnership with the Esselen Tribe to ensure this extraordinary landscape is protected, restored and cared for with the cultural knowledge and connection that only the original stewards of the land can bring.”
State agencies that supported the project underscored its importance for both conservation and cultural restoration.
“The Wildlife Conservation Board is proud to support the return of ancestral lands to the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County,” said Jennifer Norris, executive director of the Wildlife Conservation Board. “Protecting these additional 1,720 acres adjacent to The Wildlands Conservancy's Rana Creek Preserve is a major conservation milestone that strengthens habitat connectivity and safeguards endangered species. Just as important, this project supports the Tribe’s cultural traditions and honors their role in stewarding the ecological and cultural resources of this landscape.”
In addition to conserving biodiversity, the project advances California’s climate resilience and equity goals — key priorities for the State Coastal Conservancy.
“The State Coastal Conservancy is proud to support the Esselen Tribe’s return to their homelands at Tularcitos Creek,” said Amy Hutzel, executive director of the State Coastal Conservancy. “This project reflects our agency’s dedication to equity, climate resilience and restoring California’s lands to those who have stewarded them since time immemorial.”
With funding approvals secured, the Tribe and The Wildlands Conservancy will work toward completing the land transfer in the coming months. Once finalized, the Esselen Tribe will assume full stewardship of the Tularcitos Creek parcels, restoring Indigenous land management practices that honor both cultural traditions and ecological resilience.
The acquisition will permanently protect the property from subdivision and development into luxury estates, safeguarding critical wildlife corridors and sensitive habitats for species such as steelhead trout, California red-legged frog, California condor and many others. The Tribe’s stewardship vision includes riparian restoration, cultural fire practices, oak woodland regeneration, Indigenous food sovereignty and expanding youth education programs to reconnect future generations with their ancestral lands and cultural heritage. Protecting and caring for sacred sites, including Cappanay, will be a central focus of this work.
“Our connection to this land has never been broken,” Nason said. “Now we can care for it as our ancestors did — tending to the creeks, the oaks, the wildlife — and teaching our children what it means to be Esselen by walking these lands with respect. This is our opportunity to bring back the practices that kept this place healthy for thousands of years.”
State Sen. John Laird, whose long-standing leadership in coastal conservation and support for tribal partnerships has shaped numerous land protection efforts on the Central Coast, emphasized the broader significance of the project.
“Protecting this land and returning it to the care of the Esselen Tribe is a meaningful step in preserving California’s natural and cultural heritage,” said Laird. “It reflects how we can work together — state agencies, conservation partners and tribal nations — to protect important places for future generations.”
Among the largest tribal landback efforts in California this year, the Tularcitos Creek project stands alongside the recent 2,800-acre land return to the Shasta Indian Nation as a landmark achievement in the state’s commitment to Indigenous-led conservation.
This acquisition also builds on the strong partnership between the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County and The Wildlands Conservancy, who currently co-manage the Conservancy’s adjacent 12,452-acre Rana Creek Preserve. Together, they are demonstrating how collaborative stewardship rooted in Indigenous knowledge can protect landscapes for the benefit of all.
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About the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County
The Esselen Tribe of Monterey County is dedicated to preserving and protecting the recognized and unrecognized sacred lands and cultural heritage of the Esselen people and related tribal communities of the Central Coast. The Tribe’s work includes cultural education, environmental stewardship and the protection of sacred sites to ensure that future generations remain connected to their ancestral homelands.
About The Wildlands Conservancy
Since its founding in 1995, The Wildlands Conservancy has protected more than 2.3 million acres, safeguarding ecological connectivity and vast natural landscapes across the American West. Within these lands, their growing nature preserve system — now 25 locations spanning nearly 210,000 acres — remains dedicated to hands-on land stewardship, rewilding species, restoring native habitats, and fostering deep connections between people and nature. With free access for all, these preserves also provide outdoor education programs — focused on disadvantaged youth — inspiring the next generation of environmental stewards.