GARDNERVILLE, Nev. – Today, the Waší·šiw Land Trust completed the purchase of a 10,274-acre property in the Washoe tribal homelands northeast of Lake Tahoe and roughly 20 miles north of Reno. Formerly called the Loyalton Ranch, the new WélmeltiɁ Preserve encompasses a vast and ecologically significant landscape recognized for its exceptional wildlife habitat. The purchase was made possible by a $5.5 million grant from California Wildlife Conservation Board and private donations. The acquisition represents the largest tribal land return ever completed in the Sierra Nevada and the third largest in California. The land was purchased specifically for long-term conservation.
“Wá∙šiw people were first forcefully removed from these lands,” said Washoe Tribe Chairman Serrell Smokey. “Secondly, individual allotments were stolen. Then we were told we could no longer use the land for resources, or ceremony. Since that time, the land has been calling us back, and we are answering that call. This land purchase is good medicine for our people. This is a small start to healing from generations of historical trauma, and the benefits will go on for many generations to come.”
The WélmeltiɁ Preserve is bordered primarily by public lands managed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. It spans the mountain range from Long Valley in the east to Sierra Valley in the west and includes a rich mosaic of wildlife habitat. The terrain transitions from sagebrush scrub and grasslands to conifer forests, aspen groves, and mountain meadows, with pine and juniper woodlands, springs, and perennial creeks.
Pronghorn, mule deer, mountain lion, and gray wolf range through the landscape, migrating from winter habitat in the east to summer habitat in the west. The land also supports plants of cultural importance to the Washoe people, including pinyon pine, a vital, traditional food source that has suffered extensive damage from recent wildfires across the Washoe homelands.
The Washoe Tribe’s vision for the Preserve involves conservation, restoration, reinstating traditional cultural practices, managing habitat, and providing educational opportunities, with a focus on connecting youth back to the land and their native language.
The Tribal Council of the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California has a vision to repatriate land to Washoe ownership and care across the tribe’s extensive Sierra Nevada homelands.
To accelerate this vision, the Washoe Tribe partnered with the Northern Sierra Partnership and the Feather River Land Trust. The three organizations worked collaboratively for four years to develop a strategy for the project, secure funding, and complete the WélmeltiɁ Preserve purchase.
The partners raised a total of $6.9 million for this project: $6 million to acquire the 10,274-acre property and the balance for costs like planning, property assessments, and the beginning of an endowment for long-term stewardship.
In 2025, the Tribal Council formed the Waší·šiw Land Trust, a Washoe-led nonprofit dedicated to returning ancestral lands to the Washoe People of Nevada and California. The new land trust now owns the WélmeltiɁ Preserve and is working with its partners to raise another $2 million to kickstart its operations and invest in future restoration and stewardship of the Preserve.
The WélmeltiɁ Preserve is the first of several acquisitions the Waší·šiw Land Trust hopes to complete in the northern Washoe homelands north of Lake Tahoe.
“It is exciting to know that the Washoe people will be caring for this spectacular landscape going forward,” said Lucy Blake, president of the Northern Sierra Partnership. “It has truly been an honor to work with the Washoe Tribe and our partners at the Feather River Land Trust on this historic land back project.”
“We are privileged to play our part in conserving this vast landscape and helping the Washoe people launch their new land trust,” said Corey Pargee, executive director of the Feather River Land Trust. “We look forward to continuing collaboration with the Waší·šiw Land Trust for many years to come.”
“We are proud to support the return of the WélmeltiɁ Preserve to Washoe ownership and care,” said Jennifer Norris, executive director of the Wildlife Conservation Board. “This project reflects WCB’s long-standing commitment to conservation, partnership and tribal stewardship.”
