Acquisition of Juristac Secured: The Land is Protected

Juristac Success

January 28, 2026

By Ed Ketchum, Chairman, Amah Mutsun Tribal Band

After decades of hard work by our people and supportive partners, I am honored to share the news of an important milestone for our Tribe and for the sacred landscape of Juristac. Effective today, our partners at Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) have secured the purchase and permanent protection of 2,284 acres of Sargent Ranch, bringing their total ownership to more than 6,100 conserved acres of the Juristac Tribal Cultural Landscape and ending the threat of a sand and gravel mine.

For years, this sacred place faced the threat of a massive open‑pit sand and gravel mine that would have destroyed hundreds of acres of cultural sites, threatened the lives of plants and animals alike, and irreparably damaged the spiritual and cultural integrity of the land. The Tribe made clear that such harm could never be undone, and it would have decimated one of the last remaining undisturbed areas in Mutsun territory. Today, that threat no longer exists.

We have many partners to thank for making this a reality. Firstly, we want to honor the Protect Juristac Tribal campaign team and all Tribal members who participated, the Green Foothills advocacy group, and all the allied organizations of the Protect Juristac coalition which worked tirelessly to eliminate the threat. Tribal members were joined by thousands of supporters, including other Tribal governments, community organizations, city and county governments, universities, environmental and faith-based groups, along with 29,000 petition signers who came together to safeguard this hallowed place. Through this collective work, we were able to successfully stop the mining proposal and now we can reunite with our homeland after hundreds of years.

We are especially grateful for the commitment POST made to secure this land. Over the past two years, POST has invested countless hours negotiating the sale and has invested significantly to acquire the Sargent Ranch property, ensuring that Juristac will not be subjected to further destruction. We thank them for their continued willingness to honor the cultural and spiritual significance of Juristac and to work with the Tribe in a respectful, collaborative way. Their partnership reflects a shared understanding that these sacred sites and the critically important wildlife habitat linkage at Juristac must be preserved for future generations.

We celebrate and offer prayers of gratitude to Creator and the ancestors who guided and aided us on our path to healing and restoration and making this dream now a reality. 

As stated in the San Jose Inside article published November 28, 2019 titled: Fight over Proposed Sargent Ranch Quarry is Shaping Up to be Silicon Valley’s Standing Rock

“Approval of the Sargent Quarry Project is contingent on a number of pending factors. There’s an ethnographic study taking place, along with a draft environmental impact report being undertaken by the county Department of Planning and Development. The EIR was expected in November, but county planner Rob Eastwood said this week, “We found a few things that are going to take a little more time to look at” and that the report’s new expected release date is early next year.

Environmental groups have come out against the proposed mine because of the adverse impact it would likely have on iconic species such as the American badger, puma and California red-legged frog.

After the draft environmental review is issued, opposition groups will likely have somewhere between 45 to 75 days to submit questions or objections to the county Planning Commission, which will then vote on the mine.

It’s likely that their findings will be appealed either way, leaving the final decision to the county Board of Supervisors.”