Returning 30,000 acres to the Penobscot Nation is bringing more than the return of ancestral territory, it is recentering indigenous stewardship in ways that will benefit Penobscot citizens and surrounding communities too. Early in the story of this project, this land went up for sale in 2022 and was acquired quickly by the Trust for Public Lands. This is an important part about how working with land groups can benefit tribal nations, as we saw with the Mi’kmaq project too. This allowed the land to be secured by a conservation-based entity while the work of transferring to a tribal nation could begin. As with anything, the details matter and one that came up in this work is how to manage the land. 

One of the most exciting features of this project is that this land is being returned without restrictions. Often in conservation, acquiring lands through certain monies also creates boundaries of what can be done on those parcels, which is important for protecting species for instance or encouraging different forms of recreation. These restrictions become rules or structures that shape what activities can occur on land and in the context of a partnership with a tribal nation, these restrictions don’t go away and can become barriers to tribal sovereignty as they work around any restrictions that come along with the land return. In this case, having no restrictions on this land return allows for a fuller expression of tribal sovereignty within land conservation for tribal citizens and for the Penobscot Nation’s view of stewardship within their homeland. But there is more, as we have seen in other cases, indigenous-led conservation often benefits surrounding communities too. Another important aspect of this project is that it provides southern access to the Katahdin Woods and Waters Monument, which supports the surrounding communities and their connections to outdoor recreation.

As Penobscot Nation Chief Kirk Francis describes the significance of this parcel well, “The Nation highly regards the East Branch of the Penobscot River and her tributaries. We are also ecstatic for the opportunity to explore and improve the aquatic and wildlife habitat within this parcel to conserve more land in the Katahdin region for our future generations.” 

If you want to learn more about the ongoing efforts for this project, you can visit the Trust for Public Land’s website and visit Wáhsehtəkʷ.