Sponsors (2)
The bill returns ancestral land to the San Manuel Nation and protects a cultural landmark while keeping public access through Forest Service management, but it shifts some federal landholding and oversight away from standard review processes and imposes direct costs on the tribe.
The Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation (indigenous community) receives clear title to ~1,460 acres of ancestral land, restoring tribal control and self-determination over that property.
Land exchanged into the San Bernardino National Forest is placed under Forest Service management with clarified uses and easements, preserving public access and support for outdoor recreation in the region.
A required preservation agreement protects the Arrowhead landmark, safeguarding a cultural and historical site for local communities and tribal interests.
Conveyance removes roughly 1,475 acres from general National Forest ownership, which may reduce federal management flexibility and could limit some public uses or long-term federal conservation planning in that area.
The land exchange is exempted from the standard FLPMA §206 review process, which reduces the normal level of public and administrative oversight for land exchanges.
The Nation is required to pay for surveys of the non‑Federal land, imposing a direct out-of-pocket cost on the tribe for completing the exchange.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Directs the Forest Service to exchange roughly 1,475 acres of National Forest land for ~1,460 acres of tribal land, with surveys, an easement for access, and a preservation agreement for a landmark.
Introduced September 11, 2025 by Alejandro Padilla · Last progress September 11, 2025
Directs the U.S. Forest Service to carry out a specific land exchange with the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation: the Nation will convey about 1,460 acres of Nation-owned land to the Forest Service, and the Forest Service will convey about 1,475 acres of San Bernardino National Forest land to the Nation. The exchange must include surveys, an easement reserving Forest Service access to certain roads, map availability for public inspection, and a recorded agreement to preserve the Arrowhead landmark before the transfer completes.