Penobscot Nation, a federally recognized Tribal Nation that has stewarded the Penobscot River watershed for over 11,000 years, is working in partnership with Trust for Public Land to return Wáhsehtəkʷ, nearly 30,000 acres along the East Branch of the Penobscot River, to Tribal ownership. The land sits adjacent to existing Penobscot territory, just south of Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument and southeast of Baxter State Park, forming part of a connected mosaic of over one million acres of conserved land in one of the most intact forested regions in the eastern United States.
The project restores Tribal access to lands taken in the 18th and 19th centuries, supporting hunting, fishing, gathering, and cultural practices, while also creating southern public access to the National Monument, benefiting Millinocket and surrounding communities. The landscape is ecologically significant, offering climate resilience, wildlife migration corridors, and an estimated 810,000 metric tons of carbon sequestration over 40 years.
Penobscot Nation, Trust for Public Land and other partners are working to raise funds to complete the project. Once transferred, Penobscot Nation’s Department of Natural Resources will manage the land using both Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Western science, focusing on sustainable forestry, habitat restoration, and stream improvements. The project has full support from Tribal Council and membership, Trust for Public Land, members of surrounding communities, conservation organizations across the state, and Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument supporters.
