Revealing Payahuunadü
History of Payahuunadü

The Era of Coalition Building & Water Justice

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  • 2014

    State policies indicate a shift in thinking around water management and tribal consultation through passage of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) and Assembly Bill 52. However, a majority of lands in Payahuunadü are exempt from SGMA, due to lobbying by Los Angeles and Inyo County.

  • 2015

    LADWP proposes to stop providing irrigation water to leased lands in Long Valley, pointing to drought conditions and water shortages. In response, the Keep Long Valley Green Coalition forms with allies from environmental, ranching, and Indigenous communities coming together in opposition to decreased irrigation on leased lands.

  • 2019

    The State Lands Commission requires that LADWP develop a tribal consultation policy as a requirement of its lease for dust mitigation at Owens Lake. LADWP develops a vague three-page policy, which the Board of Commissioners passes despite a critical response by both tribes and state agencies.

  • 2021

    After a lawsuit filed by Mono County and the Sierra Club, the court finds that LADWP must complete environmental review before they can stop providing irrigation to ranch leases in Long Valley.

  • 2022

    The first annual Great Basin Water Justice Summit is held in Bishop, bringing together communities from Payahuunadu and other parts of the region opposing water extraction schemes.

  • 2023

    The Owens Valley Indian Water Commission completes the first Land Back initiative in the valley with the acquisition of a 5-acre property, which returns land and water to the Indigenous people and establishes the Three Creeks Collective.

  • 2024

    The Eastern Sierra Water Alliance is formed by the Owens Valley Indian Water Commission, Friends of the Inyo, and the Sierra Club to bring together water advocates in the region.

  • 2025

    The Patsiata Historic District, which includes the historic extent of what is now called Owens Lake, is recognized on the National Register of Historic Places due to its cultural and historical significance. This successful recognition is the result of years of work by local Tribal Historic Preservation Officers.

  • 2025

    The Kootzaduka’a Tribe purchases 160 acres of land, called Tupe Nobe, in the forested foothills above Mono Lake, with assistance from Eastern Sierra Land Trust. It is another monumental Land Back effort in the Eastern Sierra, while the Kootzaduka’a Tribe continues to fight for federal recognition.