Thousands of juvenile coho and chinook #salmon and #steelhead have already returned to #PrairieCreek along with red-legged #frogs, northwestern #salamanders, #waterfowl and other species.

Redwoods National Park Superintendent Steve Mietz praised the #restoration of the area and its return to the #tribe, saying it is “healing the land while healing the relationships among all the people who inhabit this magnificent #forest.”

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The property is at the heart of the tribe’s #AncestralLand and was taken in the 1800s to #exploit its old-growth redwoods and other natural resources, the tribe said. Save the Redwoods League bought the property in 2013 and began working with the tribe and others to restore it.

Much of the property was paved over by a lumber operation that worked there for 50 years and also buried #PrairieCreek, where #salmon would swim upstream from the #Pacific to spawn.

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The tribe will take ownership in 2026 of 125 acres near the tiny Northern California community of #Orick in #HumboldtCounty after #restoration of a local tributary, #PrairieCreek, is complete under the deal. The site will introduce visitors to #Yurok customs, culture and history, the tribe said.

The area is home to the world’s tallest trees — some reaching more than 350 feet. It’s about a mile from the #Pacific coast and adjacent to the Redwood National and State Parks,

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