California approves $5 mn toward Chumash Tribe’s $18 mn purchase of former abalone farm land

If the purchase goes through, the tribe plans to manage the property using indigenous stewardship practices. California has approved $5 million towards the purchase of 357 coastal acres in Cayucos that once housed the largest abalone farm in the US. The yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini Northern Chumash Tribe is seeking to buy the property for $18 million and restore parts of the land and its former aquaculture operation.According to The Tribune, the property, known as Alexander Ranch, has about one mile of coastline. It includes a eucalyptus grove that provides monarch butterfly habitat, a seasonal creek flowing into the Estero Bluffs and hills covered with grasses, sage and willow trees.The tribe's nonprofit organisation entered into a purchase agreement with the estate of engineer John Alexander in 2024. The fundraising deadline is October 15, when the escrow period ends. As of June 2026, the organisation had raised almost $8.2 million, including a $7 million grant from California's Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program.According to Becca Lucas Thomas, executive director of the ytt Northern Chumash Nonprofit, the land has a long connection with her people. Before Alexand...