In a historic event recognized as the largest single "land back" deal in California's history, Farella tax partner Julie Treppa represented the Western Rivers Conservancy and the Yurok Tribe on a series of New Markets Tax Credit transactions that were a crucial part of the innovative funding strategy to pay for the Klamath River - Blue Creek Project, encompassing the Blue Creek Salmon Sanctuary and Yurok Community Forest.

At a purchase price of $56 million, the land transfer encompasses the lower half of the Blue Creek watershed, 25 miles of the eastern bank of the Klamath River, and numerous smaller, salmon-bearing tributary streams. The final conveyance of acreage from Western Rivers Conservancy to the Yurok Tribe closed on May 30, 2025, allowing 47,097 acres (73 square miles) of ancestral land to be returned to the Yurok Tribe, marking a milestone achievement for Tribal sovereignty and conservation.

Click here to learn more about this “land back” deal.

Farella Braun + Martel is a leading Northern California law firm representing corporate and private clients in sophisticated business and real estate transactions and complex commercial, civil, and criminal litigation. Clients seek our imaginative legal solutions and the dynamism and intellectual creativity of our lawyers. We are headquartered in San Francisco and maintain an office in the Napa Valley focused on the wine industry.

Contact:
Cheryl Loof
Farella Braun + Martel LLP
415.954.4433 / [email protected]