Summer in Carmel Valley, CA

 Summer in Carmel Valley, CA

From: Carmel Valley Locals

The Sacred Village Site of Cappanay

 

The Esselen Tribe of Monterey County purchased 1,720 acres of oak savanna and grassland along Tularcitos Creek in Upper Carmel Valley, preventing the ancestral land's subdivision into luxury estates. The state-funded acquisition includes the sacred village site of Cappanay and protects critical wildlife habitat.

South- Central California Coast Steelhead

 

South-Central California Coast Steelhead are a key focus of the Rancho Cañada Floodplain Restoration Project. These threatened fish need connected river systems with diverse habitats to complete their lifecycle.

This project complements upstream fish passage improvements like the San Clemente Dam removal, helping recover this iconic species in the Carmel River watershed.

https://www.facebook.com/MPRegionalParkDistrict

Steelhead Trout in the Carmel River

 

Cappanay is one of the largest and farthest inland known Esselen village sites

 

The Esselen Tribe is poised to reclaim 1,720 acres of culturally and ecologically significant lands along Tularcitos Creek in the Upper Carmel Valley, Monterey County.

The property hosts oak savanna and riparian corridors and is home to sacred cultural sites including ancient village locations, bedrock mortars and traditional gathering areas.

Among these is “Cappanay”, one of the largest and farthest inland known Esselen village sites. In the Esselen language, Cappanay means “little tules,” referencing the native plants that once thrived along the creeks, vernal pools and wetlands among the rolling oak-covered hills.

From: Wildlands Conservancy

Carmel River April 2025

 

Rancho Cañada Floodplain Restoration Project

 

The Rancho Cañada Floodplain Restoration Project is an ambitious $38 million, multi-year initiative to restore a one-mile section of the Carmel River and rewild a former golf course, now part of Palo Corona Regional Park.