The Big Sur Land Trust has transferred the 84-acre Hiss Parcel—purchased for $2.75 million in 2024—to the Ohlone/Costanoan-Esselen Nation for cultural and conservation stewardship. The wetland-rich property sits south of Highway 68 across from Monterey Regional Airport and forms a wildlife corridor between Fort Ord National Monument and Jacks Peak County Park. OCEN, a non-federally recognized tribe, says the acquisition provides a long-awaited local gathering place and a means to protect ancestral lands. The transfer follows other California actions returning coastal and inland lands to Indigenous stewardship.
Big Sur Land Trust Transfers 84-Acre 'Hiss Parcel' to Ohlone/Costanoan-Esselen Nation
The Big Sur Land Trust has transferred stewardship of an 84-acre property—known as the Hiss Parcel—to the Ohlone/Costanoan-Esselen Nation (OCEN). The nonprofit acquired the wetland-rich tract for $2.75 million in 2024 and completed the handover as part of a conservation and cultural restoration effort.
A Place for Culture and Conservation
Located on the south side of Highway 68, directly across from Monterey Regional Airport, the Hiss Parcel contains wetlands and native habitats that connect protected lands in the region. The property forms an important wildlife corridor between Fort Ord National Monument and Jacks Peak County Park and helps safeguard portions of the Canyon Del Rey watershed.
"The tribe is really interested in being able to celebrate their culture here and to provide a gathering space for their people," said Rachel Saunders, Vice President of Conservation for the Big Sur Land Trust, in an interview with KSBW 8.
An OCEN representative described the transfer as a milestone: "This is the first time that our tribe actually acquired some land for us to have for ourselves to do something, you know, here in Monterey, where our tribe is located." As a non-federally recognized tribe, OCEN previously had no designated reservation lands despite ancestral ties to the Monterey County area dating back thousands of years.
Conservation Value
Big Sur Land Trust leadership emphasized the conservation importance of preventing development on the parcel. In a 2024 press release, the trust's CEO, Jeannette Tuitele-Lewis, noted that protecting the site preserves habitat for species observed on the property, including deer, coyote and black bear, and maintains connectivity between other conserved areas.
Part of a Larger Trend
The handover to OCEN follows other recent moves in California to restore land or stewardship to Indigenous communities. In July, the state approved returning a 136-acre coastal parcel in Mendocino County—featuring Blues Beach and nearby bluffs—to Kai Poma, a nonprofit managed by three local Pomo tribes: the Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo Indians, the Round Valley Indian Tribes and the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians.
What Comes Next: OCEN plans to use the Hiss Parcel both for cultural gatherings and habitat stewardship, integrating traditional practices with conservation goals to ensure long-term protection and public benefit.
The Big Sur Land Trust hands a picturesque 84 acres, including a major highway, to an indigenous tribe.
An 84-acre parcel, formerly known as the Hiss property across from the Monterey Airport, is now being stewarded by the Ohlone/Costanoan-Esselen Nation after the Big Sur Land Trust handed the land over to the indigenous tribe. Facebook/@lorraine.yglesias
Rachel Saunders is the Vice President of Conservation for the Big Sur Land Trust.
Arroyo Seco, California. Instagram/Arroyoseco_official
Jeannette Tuitele-Lewis is the President/CEO of Big Sur Land Trust. Big Sur Land Trust
California Governor Gavin Newsom attends the U.S. Conference of Mayors' 94th Annual Meeting in Long Beach, California, on June 4, 2026. David Buchan for Ca Post
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