Portland, ME, Sept. 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Penobscot Nation and Trust for Public Land (TPL) today announced the conveyance of the first phase of a landmark effort to return over 30,000 acres of ancestral land surrounding Wáhsehtəkʷ—the East Branch of the Penobscot River—to Penobscot Nation. Completed on Sept. 16, 2026, the initial transfer returns 11,297 acres of the broader 30,000+ acre property to the Nation, and launches the partnership into the remaining phases of the effort.
Penobscot Nation and TPL began the partnership in fall 2023 to raise $32.5 million to return the lands and to create new access to Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, which is managed by the National Park Service. Together, the partners have raised $20.7 million. Fundraising continues to complete the remaining phases of the project.
The Wáhsehtəkʷ land is located near the base of Katahdin, a mountain that is considered sacred and vital to Penobscot community and culture. The 11,297 acres of Phase 1, an area comparable in size to the city of Portland, Maine, contains 15 miles of cold-water streams, 865 acres of ponds and wetlands, and critical habitat for Atlantic salmon, brook trout, and moose. This first transfer restores the ability for Penobscot Nation to care for and restore these lands and waters for the first time in over 200 years.
“The return of these lands to the Penobscot Nation is a historic step in restoring our relationship with our homelands. These lands have always been part of who we are. Their return gives us the opportunity to care for them for our people and for future generations. We are grateful to the many partners who helped make this first phase possible, and we look forward to continuing this work until the remaining phases are returned,” said Penobscot Nation Chief Kirk Francis.
“Returning Wáhsehtəkʷ to Penobscot Nation honors the deep and enduring connection between the Penobscot people and their homelands,” said Trust for Public Land President and CEO Carrie Besnette Hauser. “This land return advances conservation and reflects TPL’s mission to connect everyone to the benefits and joys of the outdoors. Restoring Penobscot ownership and stewardship strengthens the vital connections among people, land, water, and culture that support health, community cohesion and resilience, and economic vitality. We’re honored to stand alongside Penobscot Nation, our partners, and supporters as we work to complete the full 30,000-acre return.”
The Wáhsehtəkʷ effort is a part of the Tributary Land Returns – a collaboration between the four federally recognized Wabanaki Tribes and seven conservation organizations in Maine – to return over 50,000 acres to Wabanaki communities across 11 different projects. This set of projects was affirmed by the Wabanaki Commission on Land and Stewardship, which also supports Wabanaki citizens, nonprofits, and Tribal Governments in caring for these lands through the Wolankeyutomone Kisi Apaciyewik Fund (“Let us take good care of what has returned”).
With the completion of this first phase land return, Penobscot Nation now stewards approximately 140,000 acres of land, though together, the Wabanaki Nations – Mi’kmaq Nation, Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Passamaquoddy Tribe, and Penobscot Nation – currently hold only one percent of their ancestral lands in Maine.
“This first phase land return of the Wáhsehtəkʷ project represents a remarkable achievement for both TPL and the Penobscot Nation. The return of lands to Penobscot care in the heart of our territory begins to heal old wounds to both our territory and people. The opportunity this creates for future generations of Penobscot people to hunt, fish, recreate, and be in ceremony with our ancestors on the East Branch is immeasurable. For TPL to support such work – especially at this scale – shows a deep understanding and commitment that Indigenous land care represents the best that conservation can do, both now and in the future,” said Darren Ranco, PhD, Executive Director of the Wabanaki Commission on Land and Stewardship.
Once complete, the Penobscot Nation and TPL partnership will represent one of the largest land returns ever between a U.S.-based nonprofit and a Tribal Nation. The effort also hopes to enable a new southern access route to Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, which borders the Wáhsehtəkʷ land to the north. By significantly reducing travel time to the monument, the route will make it easier to reach and bring more visitors—and spending—to businesses, restaurants, lodging, and outdoor recreation providers in Katahdin Region communities.
“At Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters, we’re excited and moved to see this first phase of the Wáhsehtəkʷ project completed, paving the way for deeper partnerships between the Penobscot Nation, the National Park Service, and Katahdin region communities. We work to educate visitors that they are on Penobscot homelands, but nothing can speak as powerfully as land return on this scale,” said Brian Hinrichs, Executive Director of Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters.
Financial supporters of the Wáhsehtəkʷ effort to date include the Bureau of Indian Affairs Tribal Community Resilience Program, Northlight Foundation, Elliotsville Foundation, Greenfield Penobscot Estuary Project Trust LLC (Trustee of the Penobscot Estuary Beneficial Environmental Projects Trust), Elmina B. Sewall Foundation, the Novo Foundation and the Ishkode Fund, First Light, the Richard King Mellon Foundation, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation through Walmart’s Acres for America Program with contributions from Life Time Foundation, Tamalpais Trust, Maine Community Foundation, Huber Family Action Fund, The Nature Conservancy, the Open Space Institute’s Appalachian Landscapes Project Grant Fund , and dozens of generous individuals, foundations, and corporations.
To learn more or to donate in support of the remaining 20,000 acres of land return, please visit https://www.tpl.org/our-work/wahsehtekw
About Penobscot Nation
The Penobscot Nation is a federally recognized tribe located in what is now known as Maine. The Nation is regarded as having one of the oldest continuous governments in the world. The Nation currently holds over 128,000 acres for the benefit of its citizens, much of this land is located within the Penobscot River watershed. This includes over 95,000 acres of trust land, 5000 acres of reservation land, and 28,000 acres in fee-simple ownership. What most would call natural resources, are thought of as relatives to citizens of the Nation.
About Trust for Public Land
Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit that works to connect everyone to the benefits and joys of the outdoors. As a leader in equitable access to the outdoors, TPL works with communities to create parks and protect public land where they are needed most, including sites that reconnect Indigenous and Tribal communities to their lands and outdoor spaces that honor Black history and culture. Since 1972, TPL has protected more than 4 million acres of public land, created more than 5,504 parks, trails, schoolyards, and iconic outdoor places, raised $112 billion in public funding for parks and public lands, and connected nearly 10 million people to the outdoors. To learn more, visit tpl.org.
###
Contact Info
Rebecca Bullis
rebecca.bullis@tpl.org
+1 908-329-0321
Media gallery
