Yurok citizens, Save the Redwoods League employees, the National Park Service employees and California State Parks employees gathered in Orick, California on Tuesday morning. At a property the Yurok Tribe named ‘O Rew, the three organizations signed a historic memorandum of agreement, to return a 125 acre stretch of land to the Yurok Tribe by 2026.
This monumental agreement marks the first time in U.S. history that a national park will be co-managed by a Native Nation.
“This is a first-of-its-kind arrangement, where Tribal land is co-stewarded with a national park as its gateway to millions of visitors,” said Steve Mietz, Redwoods National Park Superintendent, in a press release issued by the Yurok Tribe. “This action will deepen the relationship between Tribes and the National Park Service.”
Located off of U.S. Highway 101, at the base of Bald Hills Road in Orick, California, ‘O Rew serves as the southern gateway to the Redwood National and State Parks. It is also roughly in the center of the traditional homelands of the Yurok Tribe and once served as a culturally and historically significant village site.
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