The Cachil DeHe Band of Wintun Indians, also known as the Colusa Indian Community, added 519 acres to its trust land base, according to a Nov. 4 announcement from the tribe.
The property is adjacent to the tribe’s existing trust lands in Colusa County, California. The tribe said its plans include economic development projects and ecological restoration efforts.
Records published during the federal review of the trust application provide additional detail on potential uses for the property. According to a Bureau of Indian Affairs environmental assessment, development concepts evaluated for the site included up to 40 single-family homes, a 215-space RV park, a 100,000-square-foot commercial center, continued agricultural production and a vehicle repair facility for tribal use.
The trust land addition is part of the Colusa Indian Community’s effort to return ancestral homelands to tribal control while expanding opportunities for housing and business development.
Wayne R. Mitchum Jr., chairman of the Colusa Indian Community, said the trust land addition followed years of work by the tribal council and staff and continued earlier generations’ efforts to secure the tribe’s future.
“Our elders fought for what we have today, and every acre we bring back into trust carries that forward,” Mitchum said.
The land trust addition follows federal approval in June of the tribe’s leasing regulations under the Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Homeownership Act, or HEARTH Act. The approval allows the tribe to enter into leases on its trust lands under those regulations without separate federal approval of individual leases.
