Why land return to Indigenous Nations? Discussions on Wáhsehtəkʷ (Penobscot River east) and beyond.

Why land return to Indigenous Nations? Discussions on Wáhsehtəkʷ (the Penobscot River east branch project) and beyond.

Land return, rematriation (rebuilding traditional Indigenous stewardship and caretaking practices to ancestral places), and conservation work led by Indigenous peoples intersect with several of the key issues impacting the well-being and cultures of our Indigenous nations. This includes, but is not limited to, issues of environmental and climate justice, food sovereignty, health, and economic justice. Indigenous leadership, knowledge, and decision-making in conservation work also represent conservation best practices — resulting in the most effective ways to conserve lands productively for climate resilience and biodiversity.

Join Anthropologist and Chair of Native American Programs at the University of Maine, Dr. Darren Ranco; Natural Resources Director with the Penobscot Nation, Charles Loring, Jr.; and the Trust for Public Land’s State Director, Betsy Cook, to learn more about the Wáhsehtəkʷ project and land return efforts in Wabanaki territory.
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We really enjoyed putting this program together with Anthropologist and Chair of Native American Programs at the University of Maine, Dr. Darren Ranco; Natural Resources Director with the Penobscot Nation, Charles Loring, Jr.; and the Trust for Public Land’s State Director, Betsy Cook. We’re honored to support Wáhsehtəkʷ, and the rest of the work done by the Trust for Public Land and the Penobscot Nation.
For those who don’t know, the Trust for Public Land (TPL): https://www.tpl.org/ is a national nonprofit that works to connect everyone to the benefits and joys of the outdoors. For over three decades, TPL has supported Maine communities through the creation of 90 parks and the preservation of over 200,000 acres. The Penobscot Nation is a federally-recognized tribal nation and one of the oldest continuously operating governments in the world. Penobscot Nation’s homeland encompasses the 8,500 square mile Penobscot River watershed with its many tributaries, lakes, ponds, and vast forests.
The Penobscot Nation and Trust for Public Land are partnering to restore nearly 30,000 acres to the Nation, an endeavor that will represent the largest land return effort between a U.S.-based nonprofit and a tribal nation. Please consider supporting Wáhsehtəkʷ and help make this important effort a reality.: https://support.tpl.org/wahsehtekw
In addition, please visit the Wabanaki Commission on Land and Stewardship website to learn more about their work, and consider donating to either the Wolankeyutomone kisi apaciyewik "Let's take good care of what has returned" Fund,: https://dawnlandreturn.org/contribute... to support direct and unrestricted grants administered by the Wabanaki Commission on Land and Stewardship to Wabanaki projects created by Wabanaki people, their organizations and governments, or to the fund supporting the wider movement of the Wabanaki Commission and First Light, from land return, to events and gatherings, to educational programs.: https://dawnlandreturn.org/wabanaki-c...
https://dawnlandreturn.org/fund-movement