RINCON SPRINGS, CA – APRIL 3: Water flows in Paradise Creek, an offshoot of the San Luis Rey River, located near a newly constructed hiking trail and adjacent to Harrah’s Resort Southern California, as viewed on April 3, 2021 in Rincon Springs (aka Funner), California. The resort and casino is owned by the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians and operated by Caesars Entertainment. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Two Native nations based in San Diego County are slated to receive money from a new, first-of-its-kind state program aimed at supporting efforts to return land across California to its original caretakers.
Called the Tribal Nature-Based Solutions grant program, the $100 million initiative will help more than 30 projects spearheaded by Indigenous groups across California, as well as fund the return of more than 38,000 acres of land to the state’s Tribal nations.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the recipients for the grant, which includes North County’s Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel and Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians, on Friday.
“These awards are an acknowledgment of past sins, a promise of accountability, and a commitment to a better future – for the land and all its people, especially its original stewards,” Newsom said in a statement.
According to the California Natural Resources Agency, the grants for the Iipay Nation and the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians will both be used to purchase property that falls within the boundaries of their ancestral lands for conservation and community education.
“This award is not merely a financial contribution; it is a symbol of solidarity, a recognition of our inherent rights, and a commitment to stewarding our ancestral lands,” Kevin Osuna, chairman of the Iipay Nation, said in a statement.
“With these funds, we will not only secure the physical boundaries of our land but also lay the foundation for a future where our children, grandchildren and local communities can thrive, rooted in the strength of our heritage,” he continued.
The Rincon Band, in particular, plans to acquire 600 acres of land contiguous to the Tribe’s reservation near the northeastern San Diego community of Valley Center, the nation said in a summary of its project submitted to the state.
A map of all the Indigenous nations who received grants through the new program can be found to the right.
The Tribal Nature-Based Solutions program began development about four years ago after Newsom instructed the California Natural Resources Agency to advance restoration and preservation efforts through a 2020 executive order.
The order also created a goal for the agency to conserve at least 30 percent of the state’s land and coastal waters by 2030.
In December 2023, the Natural Resources Agency dispersed the first sum of money through the Tribal Nature-Based Solutions grant program to the Hoopa Valley Tribe, located in northwestern California, to support their purchase of 10,395 acres of forested land on Hupa Mountain.
