On February 17, the Oakland City Council approved the transfer of funds to purchase 16-acres of undeveloped land which will be held by the Indigenous women-led Sogorea Te’ Land Trust and its ancestral caretakers, the Confederated Villages of Lisjan Nation.
A shared goal of protecting an important ecosystem in the Oakland hills emerged from a confluence of interests. Among the factors that enabled this historic land return were unused city funds, willing private property owners, and a tribe dedicated to protecting land.
“The return of 16 acres of land at the headwaters of Sausal Creek allows the return of our sacred relationship with our ancestral land. The water is clear and surrounded by Oaks, Bay Laurel, Toyon, Madrone, Soap Root, and many other important native plants. We are honored to regain stewardship of this important area and will protect it for the next seven generations,” shared Corrina Gould, Tribal Chairperson of Confederated Villages of Lisjan Nation and CoFounder of the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust (STLT).
Lisjan Nation Tribal members visit the 16 acre land return site.
The land purchase will be enabled by city funds allocated to support conservation and protect open space through Measure DD which was approved in 2002. Michael Perlmutter with the City of Oakland Watershed District identified a 16-acre property in the Oakland Hills as an ideal site for long-term stewardship and protection. The land owners expressed a strong desire to conserve the land, agreeing to accept $800,000 for a property valued at approximately $1.9 million. While there are available funding to purchase the land for watershed protection, there are not equal resources to conserve and maintain the sprawling landscape, which is where the land trust will step in. The City is now working to transfer the Measure DD grant so Sogorea Te’ Land Trust can purchase the property directly and permanently protect it, with additional conservation and cultural agreements.
“We have been building on the relationship with the city of Oakland since 2022 when we created an easement for the return of Rinihmu Pulte’irekne” said Francis Randstead, STLT Land Back Coordinator, adding “This agreement is about protecting what’s sacred, and making sure it’s cared for the right way.”
While many of the waterways in the city are now culverted, polluted, and developed, the headwaters and surrounding area are still undisturbed. The land is among the most rural and undeveloped the urban land trust will steward, offering important access to clean soil and culturally significant native plants. Access to this land also means the return and revitalization of Indigenous cultural practices.
STLT emerged from grassroots Indigenous women-led organizing and has led innovative approaches to land return in urban areas, shifting narratives and tools around land access and ownership. Across the country, the land back movement continues to grow, returning ancestral land access and healing the harms of colonial land theft.
To support the Land Trust’s work protecting and preserving this important site donate to the Rematriate the Land Fund.
The Rematriate the Land Fund is dedicated to expenses associated with bringing land back into Indigenous stewardship including purchase and care of land, permits and fees, studies, surveys, remediations, restoration, and related needs.
For contributions over $1000, checks can be made to the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust and sent to Po Box 6758 Oakland CA 94603. Please write “Rematriate the Land Fund” in the Memo. If you encounter issues with or need to change your contribution, please contact rosa (at) rematriatetheland (dot) org. If you would like to discuss a significant contribution, please contact ariel (at) rematriatetheland (dot) org.