Wailaki tribe opposes Great Redwood Trail over ancestral graves and CEQA exemption
Members of the Wailaki tribe and allies are protesting the 307-mile Great Redwood Trail, saying it will cross sacred sites and was exempted from required CEQA tribal consultation.
The proposed 307-mile Great Redwood Trail, built on a disused rail corridor in Northern California, is sparking conflict with the Wailaki tribe, whose historic villages and graves lie along the Eel River Canyon. Tribe member Perry Lincoln and the Kinest’e Community Coalition contend that the trail’s alignment will disturb sacred sites and that a recent CEQA exemption eliminated the legal requirement for tribal consultation.
State officials, led by Sen. Mike McGuire, promote the trail as a bucket-list attraction and a catalyst for restoring polluted rail lands and revitalizing rural economies. While some environmental groups support the restoration aspect, they share concerns about the bypassed consultation process. The Great Redwood Trail Agency has allocated $5 million for cultural preservation and plans a tribal advisory committee, yet critics like Sierra Club Redwood Chapter’s Alicia Bales argue this offers only peripheral input. The dispute highlights broader tensions over development, indigenous rights, and environmental remediation in the region.
Why it matters
The clash shows how large infrastructure projects can threaten indigenous heritage when legal safeguards are waived.
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