KATHY JEFFERSON BANCROFT (1954-2026)
Published in the Feb. 7, 2026 issue.
Kathy Jefferson Bancroft, a passionate advocate and determined protector of indigenous and Paiute history, culture and rights in the Owens Valley, the land of her ancestors, passed away on Jan. 25 at her home on the Lone Pine Paiute Shoshone Reservation. She was 71.
Accolades for Bancroft and her decades of persistent work to honor and respect the land, resources and spirit of Payahüünadu, the Land of Flowing Water, came flowing in from local, state and national organizations that benefited from Bancroft’s knowledge of the Owens Valley and its people. She was a galvanizing force for nature and restoration at Patsiata, the Owens Lake.
Bancroft served for decades as the Lone Pine Tribe’s Historic Preservation Officer, a job she undertook with a smile and good humor that belied a steely resolve to fight for the environment, indigenous rights and preservation of Paiute and ancestral culture and knowledge.
“Indigenous knowledge is rooted in generations of careful observation of this place. I work at the intersection of Indigenous and Western knowledge systems, translating between the two in order to have a seat at the table to protect my homelands,” wrote Bancroft, who held degrees in biology and chemistry, after receiving the 2024 Presidents Award from the Geological Society of America. “Together … we’ll continue working at the intersection of our knowledge systems—listening, learning and translating so that we can protect this place for future generations.”
Although she was most widely known as a singular force for restoration at Patsiata, her influence was far-reaching. Some of the more notable examples of her leadership and willingness to take on volatile issues include:
Bancroft was among the original members of the Alabama Hills Stewardship Group, whose work culminated in the hills earning the Bureau of Land Management’s first-in-the-nation designation as a National Scenic Area. The landmark designation led to more active management by BLM, fewer campsites, while still maintaining traditional uses such as ATV use, movie and television filming, climbing and hiking.
Bancroft engaged with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power during the initial planning for rewatering Owens Lake as a dust mitigation project. She also was a cultural resource monitor on the lake and helped train many tribal members in the same work as the project expanded. She was always available to consult and advise the monitors, the contractors and LADWP on the many historical and cultural issues around the lake and nearby lands.
She was also instrumental in securing the Patsiata Historic District designation which covered not only the current lake and lakebed, but a large swath of land reaching almost
