{"id":225016,"date":"2026-03-18T08:32:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T08:32:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/225016\/"},"modified":"2026-03-18T08:32:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T08:32:12","slug":"california-plots-return-of-7-5-million-acres-of-land-and-coastal-waters-to-indigenous-tribes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/225016\/","title":{"rendered":"California plots return of 7.5 million acres of land and coastal waters to Indigenous tribes"},"content":{"rendered":"

California is making waves with a jaw-dropping plan to settle a 175-year-old score \u2014 handing back a staggering 7.5 million acres of land and coastal waters<\/a> to Native tribes.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s 7% of the Golden State \u2014 and not by accident. It matches exactly what the federal government promised indigenous tribes back in the 1850s, before quietly backing out<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"California<\/p>\n

California is making waves with a jaw-dropping plan to settle a 175-year-old score \u2014 handing back a staggering 7.5 million acres of land and coastal waters to Native tribes. Steve Cukrov \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

\"That\u2019s<\/p>\n

That\u2019s 7% of the Golden State \u2014 and not by accident. It matches exactly what the federal government promised indigenous tribes back in the 1850s, before quietly backing out. Education Images\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images<\/p>\n

When California became a state in 1850, officials signed 18 treaties setting aside millions of acres for tribal reservations.<\/p>\n

Congress killed the deals in secret after pressure from state leaders. Many tribes had already moved, trusting the promises.<\/p>\n

Now California wants to make good.<\/p>\n

The new Tribal Stewardship Policy lets tribes reclaim land, co-manage public spaces and return to sacred sites<\/a>. It also revives long-banned practices like controlled burns, a technique experts say is critical for stopping wildfires.<\/p>\n

\"When<\/p>\n

When California became a state in 1850, officials signed 18 treaties setting aside millions of acres for tribal reservations. Education Images\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/p>\n

California Post News: Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, X<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, WhatsApp<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a>
California Post Sports Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, X<\/a>
California Post Opinion<\/a>
California Post Newsletters: Sign up here!<\/a>
California Post App: Download here!<\/a>
Home delivery: Sign up here!<\/a>Page Six Hollywood: <\/a>Sign up here!<\/a><\/p>\n

State officials call it both moral and practical. Indigenous land management could help save communities and ecosystems as fires rage and drought worsens.<\/p>\n

More than 1.7 million acres are already under tribal stewardship through reservations, partnerships and previous land returns<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The 7.5 million-acre goal would expand that dramatically, though no timeline has been set.<\/p>\n

Advocates cheer the step but warn it is only a start. Many agreements still limit what tribes can do with the land, and some require negotiating with state agencies.<\/p>\n

Other states are returning land too. New York, Washington, Oregon and Minnesota have made moves, and a federal program<\/a> returned nearly 3 millions acres before ending in 2022. Still, California\u2019s plan dwarfs them all<\/a>.<\/p>\n