Organization
Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria
Not yet reviewed by this nation. What follows comes from public records and research. It does not speak for the nation.
The Mechoopda Indian Tribe received 93 acres from Chico State in 2022 and, per 2026 reports, bought about 450 acres near Big Chico Creek.
- Kind
- Tribal government
- Native-led
- tribal-government
- Works with
- Mechoopda (Maidu)
- Region
- Big Chico Creek watershed, Butte County, CA
- Focus
- 450 acres (2026), first ancestral land return in the Big Chico Creek watershed
- Vetting notes
- CNRA release; Chairman Dennis Ramirez. Page date blank; 2026 dating from NILL headline list (Sacramento Bee 6/11/2026).
What happened
The Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria says on its own website that it is a federally recognized tribe of 560 members governed by an elected Tribal Council. Its ancestral village was on Little Butte Creek, less than four miles south of downtown Chico.
In September 2022, Chico State reported the first land return of its kind in California. Ownership and management of the 93-acre Butte Creek Ecological Preserve passed from Chico State Enterprises to the tribe under a zero-dollar agreement approved by the California Wildlife Conservation Board. The agreement was enabled by Assembly Bill 379. The university said no buildings can be built on the land, and that Chico State faculty and staff keep research access under an MOU.
In 2026, press and trade reports describe a second return of roughly 450 acres in the Big Chico Creek watershed, in two properties next to the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve. A local real estate firm says escrow closed on May 5 and that the tribe's total holdings rose to about 3,000 acres. It says the former owners, who lost their homes in the 2024 Park Fire, chose to transfer the land back.
The firm says the tribe's crew will use traditional ecological knowledge and prescribed burns to restore the fire-hit land. That is the broker's account, not a tribal statement.
Good to know. Reports of the 2026 purchase disagree on the closing date (May 5 or June), and the 450 acres may be the first part of a proposed 658 acres.
Summarized with AI assistance from 4 sources and checked against their words; not yet reviewed by historians or by the nations. Report an error
What the sources say, and how this was checked
Supported by the sources below; some details rest on one source.
the Mechoopda Indian Tribe is a federally recognized tribe comprised of 560 Tribal Members
Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico RancheriaUnder the terms of the zero-dollar, land-transfer agreement that was approved by the California Wildlife Conservation Board
Chico State Today - Ancestral Land in Butte Creek Canyon Returned to the Mechoopda Tribeescrow officially closed on May 5. The tribe's total land holdings increased to approximately 3,000 acres.
Capital Rivers Commercial - Mechoopda Tribe Land Returnthe two properties, described as adjacent to the Big Chico Creek watershed, closed in June
Hoodline - Chico Tribe Reclaims 450 Acres in Big Chico Creek Comeback
Research notes. The 2026 acquisition rests on a broker's blog and Hoodline (citing Action News Now); the California Natural Resources Agency release was blocked. Closing date conflicts: the broker says May 5, Hoodline says June. Sale price was not found. Hoodline notes the tribe had proposed about 658 acres in all, so 450 acres may be a first closing. No tribal statement on the 2026 return was read.
We have not verified this organization well enough to link to it. See our donation integrity policy.
Connections
Links marked “suggested” were matched automatically by name or date and have not yet been reviewed by a person.
Governing body of 1
Works in 1
- Californiasuggested
Supports the return of 1
Sources
No source is linked to this record yet. That is a gap we are working to close.
The record’s fields
- Registry
- Sovereign government (no EIN needed); status per Federal Register list not checked this session
- Kind
- Organization
- Confidence
- Medium
- Nation review
- Not yet reviewed by this nation