As federal bill that could allow the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians to annex 1,400 acres of land—also known as Camp 4—is running the gauntlet in Congress, tribal leader Vincent Armenta recently expanded the tribe’s property just a little more.
Armenta verified to the Sun that the Santa Ynez Chumash bought an additional plot of land, a little more than 350 acres, just west of Camp 4.
The land was purchased from its previous owner, the Ranchos San Carlos Land Company, according to Armenta, adding that the escrow account for the land closed at the end of June. It’s a piece of land that Armenta said the tribe’s been trying to acquire for quite some time, but was never able to get in touch with the owner until recently.
The plot is just east of the town of Santa Ynez, with Meadowvale bordering the property to the west, Highway 154 to the east, and Highway 246 to the south.
It’s not clear what the Chumash will use the land for, Armenta said, and it will stay undeveloped for the time being.
“We have not discussed the use of the land at this time,” Armenta told the Sun. “It’s simply ag land.”
The new parcel is the latest addition to Chumash territory. If the federal legislation goes through, HR 1157, the 1,400 acres of Camp 4 will be formally annexed from Santa Barbara County and be placed into a trust with the U.S. government.
With Camp 4, Armenta has said in the past that the tribe aims to build more homes to alleviate the crowded conditions of the current 137-acre reservation.
This article appears in Jul 30 – Aug 6, 2015.
