A nonprofit is giving 327 acres along the Little Sur River to the Esselen Tribe.

Western Rivers Conservancy, a nonprofit that acquires land and then conveys it to stewards, has a simple motto that speaks to the group’s mission: “Sometimes to save a river, you have to buy it.”

Such is the case of WRC’s recent acquisition of 327 acres of property along the Little Sur River that’s being called the Pico Blanco property, as it’s located at the base of that namesake mountain which in Esselen is referred to as Pixchi, and is believed to be the center of the world.

The acquisition, long in the works and bankrolled from a $1.4 million grant from the state Wildlife Conservation Board, was announced Jan. 15. It piggybacks on a 1,999-acre acquisition WRC made in 2020 in the same area that was likewise conveyed to the tribe.

At the time, it was called Adler Ranch, but has since been renamed Eagle Peak Rancheria.

Tom Little Bear Nason, chair of the Esselen Tribe, says it’s come after a culmination of work over the past six to eight years as part of the effort to restore access on Palo Colorado Road to Bottchers Gap campground, as well as the Boy Scout Camp below it, and in turn, the Little Sur River.

It’s a unique place in Big Sur, which is notable in and of itself, but not because it’s part of any Instagram influencer’s campaign. It harbors not only the tribe’s resources but the public’s too – the old-growth redwoods along the river are extraordinary.

Nason mentions how there were once about 4,000 Central Coast steelhead making a run on the river annually, while today the number is 15, adding that it’s one of the last undammed rivers in California.

Nason says the tribe is still figuring out their plan for how exactly to steward the land going forward, but that public access won’t change – as is, public access is limited anyway because the road has been closed four miles in since 2018 due to storm damage.

In a statement, Jennifer Norris, executive director of the state Wildlife Conservation Board, which is under the umbrella of the California Natural Resources Agency, framed the acquisition as “ensuring the permanent protection of critical biodiversity along California’s Central Coast.”

Nelson Mathews, interim president of Western Rivers, says the wildlife aspect of the acquisition was key for the nonprofit in deciding to move forward, as the organization focuses on rivers with wildlife.