Tribe leads conservation of ancestral lands in Virginia

On a cool, blustery day in April 2022, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland joined a chilly but spirited group of Rappahannock Tribal leaders, local residents, federal officials and conservation teams along the Rappahannock River in eastern Virginia to celebrate the return of 465 acres of ancestral lands to the Tribe.

Haaland, who made history as the nation’s first Native American Cabinet member, said she looked forward to “drawing upon Tribal expertise, experience and indigenous knowledge in helping to manage the wildlife and habitat on this property.”

Perched atop white, diatomaceous cliffs overlooking the river, the 465-acre wooded property had been saved from development through the collaborative efforts of Tribal leaders, Chesapeake Bay conservation groups and federal natural resource managers. NFWF supported the purchase through a grant made by Walmart’s historic Acres for America program.

Watch: In 2022, Walmart’s Acres for America program supported two major land conservation initiatives in Virginia.

Bald eagles attended the ceremony, as well — sort of. One sat incubating her eggs in a giant nest built in an old pine tree about a hundred yards away. Others soared along the nearby cliffs, no doubt awaiting an opportunity to pluck striped bass, herring or shad from the river below.

The eagles’ presence did not escape the keen attention of Anne Richardson, long-time chief of the Rappahannock Tribe and a driving force behind the land acquisition. “On top of the cliffs, there are a number of bald eagle nests,” Richardson said. “They return there and nest there — such magnificent birds, with such power.”

Bald eagles, she explained, have always held a place of deep cultural significance with the Rappahannock Tribe, long before the arrival of Europeans to North America. So has the land itself.

“We see the land as a living, breathing entity,” Richardson explained. “We see it as a part of who we are. Not only is this healing for us, but it’s healing for the land, and the things that are on the land. Because when the land is sick, so are the people. The agenda was to protect this place for future generations, but you don’t have any of that without love of the land.”