Onondaga Nation to reclaim 1,000 acres of New York forest in historic deal
« We look forward to leveraging the expertise and Indigenous knowledge of the Onondaga Nation to help manage the region’s valuable wildlife and habitat. In keeping with the President’s America the Beautiful initiative, we all have a role to play in the work of this administration to ensure our conservation efforts are locally led and support the health and well-being of communities.”
The land transfer includes the headwaters of Onondaga Creek, more than 45 acres of wetlands and floodplains, and about 980 acres of forests and fields, the Interior Department says. The area is also home to a variety of wildlife, including brook trout in the creek, great blue heron, songbirds, waterfowl, hawks, bald eagles, frogs, bats, and white-tailed deer .
Onondaga Nation Chief Tadodaho Sidney Hill welcomed the significant land restitution.
« It is with great joy that the Onondaga Nation welcomes the return of the first substantial acreage of their ancestral lands, » Hill said in the statement. « The Nation can now renew its stewardship obligations to restore these lands and waters and preserve them for future generations to come. »
“The Nation hopes that this cooperative government-to-government effort will be another step in healing between them and all others who live in this area, which has been the homeland of the Onondaga Nation since the dawn of time,” Hill continued. .
The land was previously owned by Honeywell, which was ordered to surrender title and full ownership of the property to the Onondaga Nation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the State Department of Environmental Conservation. New York in connection with a settlement reached over the contamination of Honeywell. of the environment.
Honeywell, which operated several manufacturing plants in Onondaga County, is currently working on many of these restoration programs, including grassland restoration, wetland habitat preservation, and improving public services such as hiking trails and a public boat launch, the Interior Department says.
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