COLUSA, CA – The Cachil Dehe Band of Wintun Indians of the Colusa Indian Community has added the Wortham Property to its existing rancheria trust lands, expanding the Tribe’s sovereign land base and creating additional opportunities for economic development.
Moving the property into trust is part of the Colusa Indian Community’s longstanding effort to bring ancestral homelands back under tribal control. The Wortham Property borders the tribe’s existing trust lands, with plans for the site including economic development projects and ecological land restoration.
“Having our future in our own hands has been our tribe’s priority for generations,” said Wayne R. Mitchum, Jr., Chairman of the Colusa Indian Community. “Our elders fought for what we have today, and every acre we bring back into trust carries that forward. This took years of work by our Council and staff, and persistence through every study, review, and filing the process required.”
“Bringing this land into trust means we can extend our sovereignty into hundreds of acres of our ancestral territory. We thank our partners at the Bureau of Indian Affairs for working with us to see it through,” said Chairman Mitchum.
The tribe also received HEARTH Act approval from the Department of the Interior earlier this year, allowing it to make its own leasing decisions on its trust lands without waiting for federal approval of individual leases. The authority is intended to give the tribe greater control over the timing and development of projects on its lands.
