The terrain holds deep historical significance to local Indigenous nations, who have called the land home for centuries. Conserving this land is essential for ensuring access to traditional foods, sustaining wildlife habitats and helping ecosystems adapt to climate change.

Protecting Vital Lands 

In 2024, The Conservation Fund partnered with the Tule River Indian Tribe to protect a nearly 15,000-acre property in the foothills of the southern Sierra Nevada. The land is at the center of the Tribe’s conservation efforts focused on expanding habitat for California’s southernmost gray wolf pack, reintroducing tule elk and beaver, improving habitat for the California Condor and increasing climate resilience in the region.

The property, formerly known as Hershey Ranch, is situated at the core of the Tribe’s ancestral territory. The land adjoins the Tule River Reservation to the north and Giant Sequioa National Monument to the east.  

For many years the property was used as a cattle ranch, where livestock grazed a rugged and diverse landscape of grassland, oak woodland and steep conifer forest. 

The land features diverse habitats at varying elevations, allowing plant and animal species to adapt and migrate in response to climate change. Each of its features provides a distinct value to the Tribe’s stewardship initiatives.

Supporting The Tule River Indian Tribe 

Even before the Hershey Ranch came on the market, the Tribe was interested in the property as part of their long-term initiative to regain stewardship of their ancestral lands. When the property was listed for sale, the Tribe connected with The Conservation Fund for assistance acquiring the land.

The Conservation Fund and the Tribe formed a strategic partnership to protect the former ranch. By combining the Tribe’s knowledge of the land and The Conservation Fund’s ability to swiftly conserve property, our team moved forward to purchase the property in the fall of 2024.

The purchase removed the property from the private market while we coordinated with the Tribe to secure public and philanthropic funding to support their permanent stewardship. The California Wildlife Conservation Board, the California Natural Resources Agency’s Tribal Nature-Based Solutions Program and several private funders backed the initiative to enable the Tribe’s ultimate land reclamation.

The former Hershey Ranch becoming a part of the Tribe’s nearly 85 square miles of land creates new pathways for several exciting projects, including plans to reintroduce tule elk to bring back a culturally and ecologically important species that has been absent from this landscape for a century. The acquisition is part of the Tribe’s long-term initiative to regain stewardship of their ancestral lands.

The Conservation Fund is working with the Tribe in 2025 to protect a connected 2,357-acre property that will further enhance the Tribe’s ability to holistically manage interconnected lands between their current reservation and Giant Sequoia National Monument.