Thousands of Acres of Land Goes Back to Indigenous Tribe

Thirty thousand acres of land in Maine, United States, will be returned to the native Penobscot Nation tribe – a portion of what was taken from them in the 1800s.

The nonprofit Trust for Public Land says that the transfer aligns with its commitment “to support Tribal nations and Indigenous communities in their effort to recover, restore, and protect their ancestral homelands.”

The returned land will primarily consist of forest but also contains more than 4,000 acres of wetlands and 53 miles of streams and rivers – areas sacred to the tribal culture and community. The land is also set to be transferred in a way that supports Indigenous self-determination. Furthermore, the director of natural resources for the Penobscot Nation, Chuck Loring, says that the tribe is looking forward to stewarding the wildlife and conserving the land’s resources.