In the East Bay, Ohlone people have always gathered, celebrated, and cared for the land, despite UC and the federal government declaring us "extinct" and stripping land rights a century ago.

Through mak-warép Ohlone Land Conservancy, we provide education about Ohlone culture and restore cultural fire, native planting, and traditional tending at CSU East Bay, UC Berkeley's Russell Research Station, and other locations.

Now we're preparing to take the next step: bringing land back to Ohlone stewardship and creating a education and cultural center where people can walk among hummingbird sage, artemisia, and California rose; sip native teas; and hear Chochenyo language spoken with pride in a restored landscape surrounded by old-time East Bay beauty.

Join us and our partners, including the California Academy of Sciences, the Stupski Foundation, the Waverley Street Foundation, and Fidelity Investments, as we embark on the beautiful journey to restore Ohlone land.

mak-warép Ohlone Land Conservancy is a registered Benevity cause. If your employer offers donation matching, you can find us in your workplace giving portal and double or triple your gift.

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Frequently Ask Questions

  • Yes. The mak-warép Ohlone Land Conservancy (federal ID 99-4522401) is a 501(c)3 organization. All donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.

  • Your financial support directly fuels Ohlone-led land restoration in wildfire-prone regions of the East Bay, and restoration of landscapes with hyper-localized plant palettes that are indigenous to each East Bay microclimate. Additionally, your support assists in mak-warép Ohlone Land Conservancy re-acquring East Bay land for the Ohlone Land project.

    Your Financial Support Assists:

    • Returning land to Ohlone care — advancing land restoration and reacquisition in the East Bay.

    • Restoring culture and ecology — sustaining Chochenyo language, foodways, cultural fire, and native plants.

    • Educating and nspiring — creating places of memory, joy, and intergenerational learning.

  • The mak-warép Ohlone Land Conservancy is Ohlone-led and guided by the elders of our East Bay Ohlone community, who teach us how to tend to our land with intention and old-time knowledge.

    Through our land conservancy, we have established rich partnerships with CalFire, Contra Costa Fire, Contra Costa Resource Conservation District, East Bay Regional Parks, and Diablo Fire Safe Council, ensuring that we have the necessary partners for safe, effective cultural burning.

    The mak-warép Ohlone Land Conservancy does not advocate for or promote a land tax, but instead values and builds mutually beneficial relationships and partnerships that work toward our goal of restoring and reacquiring land and mitigating wildfires with the changing climate.

    Additionally, in addition to our strong partnerships as we actively steward land in this moment, we have a set goal of a specific, large tract of East Bay land that will work for the direct benefit of our East Bay Ohlone community through our Ohlone Land project.

  • Yes, the mak-warép Land Conservancy accepts legacy offerings and gifts for future generations.
    Your legacy offering or gift is an act of memory and reciprocity, ensuring that Ohlone land, language, and traditions will thrive for generations. By including mak-warép Ohlone Land Conservancy in your estate plans, you help secure Ohlone-led cultural stewardship, language revitalization, and land return for the future.

    A legacy gift or offering is a powerful way to carry forward the values of someone you cherish. By naming mak-warép Ohlone Land Conservancy as a beneficiary in your estate plans, you may honor the memory of an ancestor, celebrate a mentor, or create a living tribute for future generations.
We are honored to recognize tribute offerings and gifts unless you prefer to remain anonymous.

    Why should I consider a legacy offering or gift?
    Your legacy support will:

    • Return land to Ohlone care — advancing land back in the East Bay.

    • Restore culture and ecology — sustaining Chochenyo and Rumsen language, foodways, cultural fire, and native plants.

    • Educate and inspire — creating places of memory, joy, and intergenerational learning.

    How do I make a legacy gift or offering?

    • Bequests: Include mak-warép Ohlone Land Conservancy in your will or living trust.

    • Retirement accounts: Name us as a beneficiary of your IRA, 401(k), or other retirement plan.

    • Life insurance: Designate mak-warép as a beneficiary of your life insurance policy.

    • Donor-advised funds (DAFs): Recommend a grant to mak-warép Ohlone Land Conservancy through your DAF, or name us as a beneficiary of your donor-advised fund.

  • Yes, we encourage you to message thorugh our Contact page and to view future events through our website to learn how to work directly with us as we restore our homeland.

  • Yes, mak-warép Ohlone Land Conservancy is a registered Benevity cause. If your employer offers donation matching, you can find us in your workplace giving portal and double or triple your gift.

  • Yes. Please mail support by check to:

    mak-warép Ohlone Land Conservancy
    1053 Santa Fe Avenue
    Albany, CA 94706

    mak-warép Ohlone Land Conservancy (federal ID 99-4522401) is a 501(c)3 organization. All donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.