Pitt River tribe seeks 584 acres and 40 acres fee‑to‑trust for cultural center at 4 Corners site

The subcommittee considered testimony on H.R.2400, which would transfer approximately 584 acres of Forest Service land known as the 4 Corners into trust for the Pitt River Tribe and place roughly 40 acres of tribal fee land into trust as well.

Pitt River Chairman Yoch Bamford told the committee the 4 Corners is a central landmark in the tribe’s ancestral territory and a focal point for historic Indian activism. The tribe previously occupied portions of the 4 Corners during demonstrations in the 1960s and 1970s; annual commemorative events are held at the site, Bamford said. The tribe currently owns 40 acres in fee at the southeast corner and has been pursuing acquisition of adjacent federal parcels for decades.

Bamford said the tribe envisions an interpretive/cultural center at the site and economic development on tribally owned parcels, and that securing the Forest Service parcels in trust would allow the tribe to protect and interpret the location. John Crockett of the U.S. Forest Service testified the agency supports H.R.2400, will work with Interior and the tribe to coordinate transfers, and recommends excluding existing special‑use permits and rights from transfers where appropriate. The bill text, as described in testimony, stipulates transferred land cannot be used for gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

Bamford said prior efforts to obtain the 4 Corners through Forest Service administrative channels in 2013 were not completed, citing turnover and delays in agency staffing. Committee members pressed agencies on staff capacity, wildfire response and the timeline for potential transfers; agencies agreed to provide written follow‑up. No committee vote was taken during the hearing.