Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy Returns Ancestral Land to the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians

PALM SPRINGS — For the second time this year, the State of California Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy has donated ancestral land within the San Jacinto Mountain range to the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, a federally recognized Tribe. This donation is 320 acres.

This donation, combined with a previous donation of 280 acres made by the Friends of the Desert Mountains with the help of the Conservancy in April 2024, makes a total of 600 acres of ancestral land donations to the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians this year.

“Returning these lands to the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians is a powerful example of how we can right historical wrongs and advance healing for the land and people at the same time,” said Wade Crowfoot, Secretary, California Natural Resources Agency. “We are committed to working with California Native American tribes to support their return of ancestral lands and to help protect these landscapes for future generations.”

Secretary Wade Crowfoot is scheduled to visit with Agua Caliente’s Tribal Chairman Reid D. Milanovich and Tribal Council at 3 p.m. Tuesday Oct. 15 at the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum in downtown Palm Springs.

The donated 320 acres was originally purchased in 1997 by the State of California through the Conservancy to protect palm oases and fragile cultural resources near Palm Canyon for conservation purposes. The Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy is a state agency established in 1991 and is directed by a 20-member governing board.

“The Conservancy’s mission is to protect the natural and cultural resources of the Coachella Valley,” said Elizabeth King, Conservancy Executive Director. “This is the Conservancy’s first direct Tribal land-back transfer, and we are proud to be a part of this transfer to the original stewards who have been caring for these lands since time immemorial.  With this donation, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians care of these lands and associated cultural resources continues in perpetuity.”

In ancient times, the Cahuilla ancestors thrived throughout more than 6,250 square miles in what is now Southern California. The Agua Caliente Indian Reservation was established in 1876 and expanded a year later. Today, the Tribe is steward to 34,000 acres.

“Preservation of our homelands is essential to maintaining our cultural heritage,” Tribal Chairman Reid D. Milanovich of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, said in a statement. “Integral to the identity of our Tribe is the thousands of years of knowledge and ancient wisdom held within these lands, our homelands.”

The mission of the conservancy is to protect the natural and cultural resources of the Coachella Valley: the scenic, wildlife, cultural, geologic, and recreational resources that make this such a splendid place for people and all the other life forms with which we share this special place.

The Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy is a state agency established in 1991 to pursue this mission and is directed by a 20-member governing board. The Conservancy is an exceptional example of local communities, state elected officials, non-profit organizations, and business and environmental interests working together for the good of all. Since its inception, the Conservancy and its partners have conserved more than 106,000 acres.