For Immediate Release:
EDEN HOUSING RETURNS THREE ACRES TO INDIGENOUS LED LAND TRUST
The restoration of the creek land will be supported by a perpetual endowment dedicated to its ongoing care and preservation.
Castro Valley, CA, November 25, 2024: Sogorea Te’ Land Trust and Eden Housing are honored to announce the return of three acres of land along the San Lorenzo Creek in Castro Valley to its ancestral caretakers. Also known as Lisjan Creek, the site is culturally significant for the Confederated Villages of Lisan Nation tribe and is the first waterway to be returned to the Indigenous women-led Sogorea Te’ Land Trust.
“My people are named for this waterway, my ancestors would gather here. This place is important for our cultural and environmental restoration work. We are honored to be able to be in relationship with these land and waters again and contribute to their healing.” said Lisjan Nation Tribal Chairwoman and Land Trust co-founder Corrina Gould
The creek land is located in an area historically known as a gathering place for the Ohlone people and cultural items have been found in the vicinity. The land has remained vacant for decades following the cancellation of plans to construct Interstate 238. The creek and riparian zone will be protected and managed in perpetuity under a conservation easement funded through a perpetual endowment by Caltrans. The title deed has been transferred to the land trust who will oversee restoration efforts, including revitalizing the riparian habitat and reintroducing native plant species to the area.
“We celebrate this land return and the included endowment. We are excited for the possibilities of projects that support the community and the environment while in meaningful collaboration with Indigenous people of the land they are on.” said STLT Landback Coordinator Francis Randstead.
“Donating the creek land to the Indigenous Land Trust is a significant step in honoring the natural heritage and cultural roots of this area,” said Andrea Osgood, Eden Housing’s Chief of Real Estate Development and Executive Vice President. “This partnership not only enhances the preservation and beautification of the creek and riparian zone but also fosters meaningful collaboration with surrounding communities and groups. By reintroducing native plants and restoring this essential habitat, we aim to create a space that respects both the environmental and cultural history of the land, benefiting current and future generations.”
PHOTO OPPORTUNITY:
When: December 3 at 10:30 a.m.
Where: 1451 Crescent St. Castro Valley, CA
What: Media is invited to view the official donation of the land to the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust
About The Sogorea Te’ Land Trust
Sogorea Te’ Land Trust is an urban Indigenous women-led land trust based in the San Francisco Bay Area that facilitates the return of Indigenous land to Indigenous people. Through the practices of rematriation, cultural revitalization, and land restoration, Sogorea Te’ calls on Native and non-native peoples to heal and transform the legacies of colonization, genocide, and patriarchy and to do the work our ancestors and future generations are calling us to do.
About Eden Housing
Eden Housing is a nonprofit organization with more than 55 years of experience providing safe and affordable housing that helps families stay secure, allows communities to thrive, and solves many of the most pressing housing challenges facing California cities. Since its inception, the Bay Area-based organization has developed more than 10,000 affordable homes and is a leader in making its residential communities environmentally sustainable and efficient through integrating energy conservation. Eden is also known as a champion of housing policy advocacy at the local, state, and national level, supporting practices that both create and preserve affordable housing for diverse communities. Adjacent to the gifted three acres, Eden is constructing Crescent Grove, a 72-affordable housing community that will enhance the unincorporated areas of Castro Valley and advance Alameda County’s goal of ensuring the availability of diverse and affordable housing Learn more at www.edenhousing.org.
For media inquiries contact:
Inés Ixierda ines@rematriatetheland.org (Sogorea Te’ Land Trust,)
Birgit Johnston, birgitjohnston@me.com (Eden Housing)
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To learn more about Sogorea Te’ Land Trust, please visit the website:
To learn more about Eden Housing, please visit:
edenhousing.org