After 30 years of advocating for indigenous water and food sovereignty, the Owens Valley Indian Water Commission (OVIWC) has their first opportunity to steward title to a healing oasis called Three Creeks.

This important land transition happened in the highly politicized context of the Owens Valley where the Payahǖǖnadǖ tribes have faced a long history of land and water theft by the Los Angeles District of Water and Power. Working with Mike Godbe, an attorney with California Indian Legal Services, we had the deep honor of supporting all parties in this highly nuanced process involving a discount sale, the formation of a new collective, narrative contract writing, and a short time frame funding campaign. This project closed escrow in February of 2023.