First Tribally-led Forest Resilience Bond Launches, Strengthening Capacity for Indigenous Stewardship in California

Tribal-Led Forest Resilience Bond Launches in Miwok, Nisenan, and Maidu Homelands: Centering Indigenous Knowledge in Stewardship

COLFAX , CA, UNITED STATES, August 14, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Colfax-Todds Valley Consolidated Tribe (CTVCT), in partnership with Koy’o Land Conservancy, the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, and Blue Forest, announces the launch of the Colfax I Forest Resilience Bond (FRB)—the first FRB led by a Tribal Nation.

The project takes place within the ancestral homelands of the Miwok, Maidu, and Nisenan Peoples—territory that includes the headwaters of the Sacramento River, most of the American River watershed, and parts of the Bear and Cosumnes Rivers. Restoration treatments span Tribal trust lands, private holdings, and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands across Placer and El Dorado counties. This region, vital to California’s water supply and ecological health, is increasingly vulnerable to catastrophic wildfires, prolonged drought, and water scarcity.

Despite lacking federal recognition and associated resources, the Colfax-Todds Valley Consolidated Tribe has remained steadfast in their efforts to return ecocultural stewardship to the landscape. In 2020, the Tribe established Koy’o Land Conservancy to reconnect Tribal members with their homelands and uphold cultural and traditional practices. The Colfax I FRB marks a significant next step—providing innovative financing to strengthen the capacity for Indigenous stewardship and community-led restoration.

“Working on our homelands carries a deep sense of pride. These are the places our ancestors hunted, gathered, and cared for, and where our children will continue those traditions. I see that pride in our crew every day, whether they’re thinning brush and small trees, mapping wildlife trails, or sharing the uses of native plants they’ve learned from elders. When agencies work with us, they gain a perspective shaped by generations of observation and care for this land, and this knowledge strengthens our collective efforts.”
- Pamela Cubbler, Vice Chairwoman of Colfax Todd's Valley Consolidated Tribe

Central to the project is the Fire Leadership for Intertribal Conservation Knowledge-keeping Eco-cultural Revitalization (F.L.I.C.K.E.R.) Crew—a team of Nisenan, Maidu, and Miwok cultural fire practitioners and emerging leaders. Their work integrates process-based ecological science with Indigenous Knowledge (IK) to restore healthy fire regimes, improve ecological function, and strengthen the connection between cultural practices and land stewardship. Through cultural burning, hand thinning, native seed collection and replanting, and long-term monitoring, the crew is weaving Indigenous knowledge into the fabric of modern restoration to advance wildfire and climate resilience. “It’s not enough to bring Tribal voices to the table, we need to ensure Tribal communities are shaping the table itself,” says Wiyaka Bennett, Blue Forest Indigenous Partnership Manager.

The Colfax I FRB, financed by mission-driven investors through the Blue Forest FRB Catalyst Facility, addresses cash flow constraints tied to traditional grant funding. This FRB, funded through a CAL FIRE Tribal Wildfire Resilience grant, supports the expansion of Koy’o Land Conservancy's restoration and Tribal workforce development efforts. These efforts offer meaningful, intergenerational opportunities for Native youth to engage in community-driven restoration, where cultural revitalization and ecological resilience work in tandem.

The FRB is a model co-developed by Blue Forest, World Resources Institute (WRI), the USDA Forest Service, and the National Forest Foundation. It is an innovative finance mechanism that blends public and private capital to finance forest restoration projects to protect communities, ecosystems, and rural livelihoods. This provision of upfront capital allows for financial flexibility that accelerates the pace and scale of restoration activities as well as the ability to pay contractors quickly and on time.

“The Colfax I FRB demonstrates what’s possible when capital is deployed in direct service of Indigenous leadership. This is a model for how mission-aligned investment can support Tribal Nations in revitalizing ecocultural stewardship on the landscape”, says Zach Knight, Blue Forest CEO. “As we deepen partnerships with Tribal Nations and organizations across the Western U.S., our role is to listen, build trust, and ensure that financial tools like the Forest Resilience Bond work in service of Indigenous priorities.”

The Colfax I FRB sets a powerful precedent for what restoration can look like when guided by Indigenous leadership, deep place-based knowledge, and a commitment to healing both landscapes and communities. It marks a path forward that honors the past, empowers the present, and builds resilience for future generations.

"Some mornings I come out here tired because my baby kept me up all night. But then I think about why we’re doing this — so our kids and grandkids can walk these trails, gather from these plants, and inherit a healthy forest. That’s what keeps me going."
- Raven Villagomez, F.L.I.C.K.E.R. Crew Team Lead

Blue Forest is a conservation finance non-profit founded in 2015 that advances ecosystem restoration through scientific research, financial innovation, and collaborative partnerships. Since 2018, Blue Forest has managed investor capital through its flagship financial product, the Forest Resilience Bond (FRB), which deploys private capital to finance forest restoration projects to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire. More recently, Blue Forest established Blue Forest Asset Management (BFAM), an investment management platform connecting investors to compelling, mission-aligned opportunities in a broader set of asset classes beyond FRB projects, such as private equity and private credit investments.

Heather Druffel
Blue Forest
heather@blueforest.org
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First Tribally-led Forest Resilience Bond Launches: Colfax I FRB

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