PHOENIX — The Prescott National Forest and Yavapai Apache Nation have completed a federal land swap nearly 30 years in the making.

The Yavapai Apache Tribe traded approximately 4,782 acres of non-federal land spread across six parcels with the Forest Service for approximately 3,207 acres of federal land. Almost all of them are adjacent to the country’s existing Camp Verde Indian Reservation on both sides of the Verde River. According to the final decision notice.

The Yavapai Apache Nation will hold a signing ceremony at 10 a.m. Monday at the Tunri Community Center in Camp Verde to celebrate the first proposed initiative. Forest Service 1996. The most recent exchange proposal was submitted in 2023.

“This land exchange is historic for the Yavapai Apache Tribe and provides a socially, economically, and culturally sustainable future for the Yavapai Apache Nation, and is a partnership between the U.S. Forest Service and many stakeholders across the Verde Valley. is a direct result of collaborative efforts with the Yavapai-Apache Nation,” said Tanya Lewis, Yavapai-Apache Nation President. press release.

“We are proud to share the Yavapai Apache Nation’s historic land exchange with the U.S. Forest Service and our neighbors across the Verde Valley. It is proof that we can collectively achieve preservation, nurturing tribes, and developing local economies to ensure a future of hope and sustainability. ”

In the 1990s, The Yavapai Apache Nation began acquiring private land within the national forest in hopes of exchanging it for land adjacent to the reservation. Lewis explained.

The six parcels received by the Forest Service span four national forests: Prescott, Coconino, Kaibab, and Apache-Sitgreaves (map here). The Yavapai Apaches described much of their land as “unspoiled wilderness.”

Why did the Forest Service and the Yavapai Apache Tribe agree to a land swap?

The federal agencies’ stated purpose for the exchange is to more effectively manage National Forest System lands by consolidating existing ownership patterns. This will improve conservation and management efforts for the four national forests.

The Red Mountain parcel of Yavapai Ranch acquired by the Forest Service includes six parcels of the upper Verde River watershed, giving the Forest Service access to the river on which the state and neighboring communities such as Cottonwood and Camp Verde depend. You will be able to manage the source.

The acquired land also provides opportunities for outdoor recreation and wildlife corridor management for animals such as elk, bears, javelina, and antelope. Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra ClubEnvironmental groups praised the proposal in June as a conservation measure for the river and surrounding habitat.

Another reason listed for the agreement is to comply with the United States’ fiduciary responsibility to ensure the nation has enough land to thrive in a sustainable homeland.

The goal for the Yavapai Apache was to significantly expand the reservation for current and future housing development as the population grew.

In this exchange, their ancestral homelands will also be returned.

“Over the years, there have been many delays and changes to the proposal, but the Forest Service and Yavapai Apache Nation have agreed to develop a land exchange that will benefit both public and tribal lands. We never lost sight of our collective goals,” Prescott National said. Forest Supervisor Sarah Clawson said in a release.

“This decision is the culmination of years of collaborative efforts and will support the Forest Service’s mission and meet the growing economic and social needs of our nation.”

The Federal Land Policy and Management Act requires land exchanges to be of comparable value, and the valuation complies with regulatory requirements. The value of the Federal parcel exceeds the value of the non-Federal parcel by no more than 25%; Which is allowed? Pursuant to the Federal Regulations Act. The Yavapai Apache Nation will pay the United States to equalize its value.

The Yavapai Apache Tribe applied to the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs to add this land to their existing reservation.