Yosemite land returned to tribe expelled 175 years ago

Nearly two centuries after being forced from their homeland, the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation has regained nearly 900 acres of ancestral terrain that borders Yosemite National Park. The parcel, known as Henness Ridge, carries deep cultural meaning and vital ecological functions — from traditional travel routes to wildlife migration corridors — and its return marks a major restoration of both land and cultural connection.

The property transfer came after a long conservation effort led by the Pacific Forest Trust, which bought and cared for the land to prevent development and prepare it for tribal stewardship. The move restores local control over terrain that overlooks Yosemite Valley, the Merced River tributaries and the Central Valley skyline.

Why Henness Ridge matters to the Miwuk and the region

Henness Ridge sits just west of Chinquapin/Badger Pass and State Route 41. Its ridgelines look out over both forks of the Merced River and create a vital east-west corridor for wildlife and plant species adjusting to a warming climate. For generations the Southern Sierra Miwuk tended these forests, meadows and springs; with 19th-century settlement and the formation of Yosemite, the tribe was displaced.

Restoring Henness Ridge returns a living piece of cultural landscape — a place where ancestral trails once linked the Central Valley to Yosemite and where traditional practices shaped biodiversity and water health.

How the land was protected and prepared for transfer

Conservationists moved in when development threatened the property. The Pacific Forest Trust spent roughly two decades managing the site to stabilize ecosystems and restore fire-resilient forests before the transfer to tribal ownership.

• Habitat restoration included removing standing dead trees that posed safety hazards, thinning overstocked stands and improving access for replanting efforts.
• After a major wildfire, restoration teams planted tens of thousands of native seedlings and worked to accelerate forest recovery.
• Management focused on enhancing connectivity between public and private lands to allow species to shift ranges in response to climate change.

The Ferguson Fire and active restoration

A large portion of the property burned in the 2018 Ferguson Fire. That event spurred a wave of active management: crews cleared dangerous snags, implemented fuels-reduction measures and planted roughly 125,000 native seedlings to kick-start regeneration. Those efforts also helped stop the fire from spreading farther down the ridge toward Yosemite West.

What the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation plans to do with Henness Ridge

With ownership restored, tribal leaders have outlined plans that blend traditional ecological knowledge with contemporary conservation science.

• Cultural fire and stewardship: Reintroducing controlled cultural burns to reduce fuel loads, support native plant communities and maintain open meadows.
• Traditional harvests: Cultivating and gathering native foods, fibers and medicines that were historically part of Miwuk lifeways.
• Forest and watershed recovery: Restoring riparian areas that feed both branches of the Merced River to improve water quality and habitat.
• Public education and collaboration: Creating opportunities to teach the broader public about indigenous stewardship and the climate-resilience benefits of these practices.

Tribal leaders describe the return as a chance to heal community ties and pass knowledge to younger generations, reconnecting people to a landscape they tended for centuries.

Funding, partnerships and broader conservation impact

The transfer was made possible in part by a grant from California’s Natural Resources Agency through its Tribal Nature-Based Solutions Program, which supports projects that merge ecosystem restoration with tribal priorities. That same program recently aided another large-scale reunion of ancestral lands when the Tule River Tribe regained 17,000 acres in the Sierra Nevada foothills.

By reuniting Henness Ridge with tribal stewardship, conservation partners see multiple benefits:

• Expanded corridors for wildlife migration and genetic exchange across public and private lands.
• Improved resilience to wildfire and climate shifts through culturally informed land management.
• Strengthened cases for federal recognition and tribal sovereignty by reinforcing stewardship capacity and land-based cultural ties.

Voices from the tribe and conservation community

Southern Sierra Miwuk representatives say the land’s return creates a sanctuary for ceremonies, teaching and everyday stewardship. Tribal officials emphasize that reclaiming Henness Ridge is about more than acreage — it renews a relationship with place that supports cultural continuity.

Pacific Forest Trust leaders framed the transfer as the culmination of long-term conservation goals: protecting the ridge from development, buffering Yosemite National Park and blending conservation with cultural restoration to deliver a lasting outcome for people and wildlife.

What this means for Yosemite and the region

Restoring Henness Ridge to tribal ownership strengthens conservation networks surrounding Yosemite and provides a model for how partnerships between tribes and conservation organizations can produce lasting ecological and cultural benefits. As climate pressures intensify, reconnecting native stewardship with landscape-scale conservation will be an increasingly important strategy for maintaining biodiversity, protecting watersheds and supporting community resilience.

For the Southern Sierra Miwuk, the land is both a future resource and a returned responsibility — a place to practice ancestral stewardship and to help the broader region adapt to a changing climate.

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Michael Thompson

Michael Thompson is an experienced journalist covering U.S. and global news. With ten years on the front lines, he breaks down political and economic stories that matter. His precise writing and keen attention to detail help you grasp the real‑world impact of every event.