Blue Forest, in partnership with the Colfax–Todds Valley Consolidated Tribe, the Koy’o Land Conservancy and the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, announces the launch of the Colfax I forest resilience bond: the first FRB led by a tribal nation. The FRB model has already been replicated across California, including in the North Feather I FRB in Plumas County. Blue Forest says additional Plumas projects are currently in development as well.
The Colfax 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 lands across Placer and El Dorado counties.
Blue Forest points out that 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 its efforts to return ecocultural stewardship to the landscape, said Blue Forest. In 2020, the tribe established the Koy’o Land Conservancy to reconnect tribal members with their homelands and uphold cultural and traditional practices. Blue Forest says the Colfax I FRB marks a significant next step by providing innovative financing to strengthen the capacity for Indigenous stewardship and community-led restoration.
“Working on our homelands carries a deep sense of pride,” said Pamela Cubbler, vice chairwoman of the Colfax–Todd’s Valley Consolidated Tribe. “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.”
Cubbler highlights the fact that when agencies work with the tribe, they gain a perspective shaped by generations of observation and care for the land. “This knowledge strengthens our collective efforts,” she said.
Project details
Central to the Colfax I FRB project is the Fire Leadership for Intertribal Conservation Knowledge-keeping Eco-cultural Revitalization crew — a team of Nisenan, Maidu and Miwok cultural fire practitioners and emerging leaders. The work of the FLICKER crew integrates process-based ecological science with Indigenous knowledge 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 demonstrates what’s possible when capital is deployed in direct service of Indigenous leadership,” said Zach Knight, Blue Forest CEO. “This is a model for how mission-aligned investment can support tribal nations in revitalizing ecocultural stewardship on the landscape.” He pointed out that as Blue Forest deepens its partnerships with tribal nations and organizations, the company’s role is to listen, build trust and ensure that financial tools like FRBs work in service of Indigenous priorities.
Blue Forest said 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,” said Raven Villagomez, FLICKER crew team lead. “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.”
Forest resilience bond model
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 California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection 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, said Blue Forest.
The FRB is a model co-developed by Blue Forest, World Resources Institute, the U.S. Department of Agriculture 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, said Blue Forest. 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.
Blue Forest is a conservation finance nonprofit 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, which deploys private capital to finance forest restoration projects to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire. More information is available at https://www.blueforest.org/.
