Tribal and Indigenous Land Access and Return Series Part I: Land Acquisition
June 16, 2026 | 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM PT / 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM ET
Partnerships for Indigenous Land Access and Return: A Summary of Legal and Relational Pathways provides a summary of the various approaches that land trusts and Indigenous tribes and communities can leverage for land access and return. This two-part webinar series will highlight best practices and reflections from the report authors, and will dive deep into partnership examples from two different regions.
Participants are encouraged to review the following resources ahead of or following the webinars to complement the information that will be shared by presenters:
Join Lisa Wilson and Forrest King-Cortes, two of the co-authors of Partnerships for Land Access and Return: A Summary of Legal and Relational Pathways to learn about the key considerations and a spectrum of approaches for land trusts and Tribes or Indigenous communities who are seeking to work in partnership on land return. Then, dive deep into a partnership example featuring Trust for Public Land and the Penobscot Nation. Together, the partners are returning 31,000 acres, the largest land return of its kind, without a conservation easement. You’ll hear directly from partners about the path to building trust, the future of their work together and the lessons learned along the way.
Learning objectives:
Introduce land trust partnerships with Tribes and Indigenous communities as a viable method for land access and return.
Introduce high level considerations for partners seeking to engage in land return.
Deep dive into a partnership case study that exemplifies best practices for land return partnerships.
Host: Forrest King-Cortes, Land Trust Alliance
Presenters:
Lisa Wilson, Old Growth Solutions
Dr. Darren Ranco, Wabanaki Commission on Land and Stewardship
Chuck Loring, Penobscot Nation
Betsy Cook, Trust for Public Land
