308 Acres Along Owl Creek Return to the Colfax-Todds Valley Tribe
Placer Land Trust helped return 308 forested acres near Foresthill to the Colfax-Todds Valley Consolidated Tribe, protected forever by a conservation easement.
American River Canyon Alliance
Owl Creek is 308 acres of forested land along Foresthill Road, near the community of Foresthill in rural Placer County. It sits in the American River high country, above the North Fork canyon. And it is going home.
According to Placer Land Trust, the property is being returned to the Colfax-Todds Valley Consolidated Tribe, whose members are Nisenan Maidu and Miwok people. The Tribe will own the land through its nonprofit, Koy'o Land Conservancy. Placer Land Trust holds a permanent conservation easement that blocks development and keeps the forest intact for good.
The deal came together through several sources. CAL FIRE's Forest Legacy Program contributed $1.36 million. The California Council of Land Trusts added grant funding. The landowner sold at a discount worth more than $200,000, and the Tribe and land trust covered the rest with matching and in-kind support. This is CAL FIRE's first direct role in a Tribal land-back effort, and the largest such project yet between the Tribe and Placer Land Trust.
The work now turns to the forest itself. Plans call for forest health restoration and fuels management. The Tribe has set aside six acres for a future headquarters and stewardship operations center. Interpretive signs will be translated into the Nisenan language.
Public access is coming, but not yet. The partners are still building a recreation and access plan with Tribal and outside experts. When trails open, the details will be posted at placerlandtrust.org.