Story by Maulian Bryant. Photos by Chris Bennett.

As director of natural resources for the Penobscot Nation, Charles “Chuck” Loring Jr. has a lot on his plate. Lately, he’s been working with Trust for Public Land toward restoring nearly 30,000 acres to the Penobscot Nation—acres that are central to his tribe’s identity. When achieved, it will be the largest land return in history between a U.S.-based nonprofit and a tribal nation.

Protecting this land, called Wáhsehtәk^w by the Penobscot (and pronounced “WAH-seh-teg”), will ensure preservation and Indigenous stewardship of the tribe’s ancestral homelands and sacred waters. It will also greatly enhance public access to Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, benefiting surrounding communities and enhancing the region’s outdoor recreation economy for years to come.

The Penobscot Nation’s natural resources department oversees the management of these lands. Pretty consequential.

Many of us grew up within large families that take great pride in our tribe’s outdoor traditions. We are taught from a young age about hunting and fishing and, most importantly, that harvesting game is part of the balance and reciprocity of the relationship between all living things. These are core values for our people: sustainability, sustenance, respect, trust, and the knowledge that the health of the natural world is ingrained in everything.

Those values are reflected in the magnitude of what this project means for our tribe. Located in the heart of the Penobscot Nation’s territory, the land carries profound importance for our people, who rely heavily on the Penobscot River and consider it a valued member of our community. “We are looking at this as a significant landscape-scale restoration project where we can let the forests heal from their previous industrial uses and focus on improving fish habitat, as well,” says Chuck.

But this partnership with Trust for Public Land to regain our ancestral land is not just about restoration and growth. It is about healing. The lands heal from generations of misuse. The Penobscot people heal from generations of theft and disruption of connection to these places of our creation stories. When we can harvest game and medicine or do ceremony in sacred places where our ancestors did these same things, our connection is restored, and our communities and families are given new life. Our tribe finds a great amount of joy and hope in what this collaborative land return means.

“This land back work is some of the most rewarding and important work I’ve been involved in,” says Chuck, who also serves as an advocate for our tribal administration and councilors. He sees its value on a regular basis: “I haven’t met with a single tribal citizen whose eyes didn’t light up at the prospect of us gaining back the Wáhsehtәkw parcel,” he reflects.

I haven’t met with a single tribal citizen whose eyes didn’t light up at the prospect of us gaining back the Wáhsehtәkw parcel.”

Chuck finds himself focused on the sacredness of the land itself and what it means to protect it; for him, it’s an opportunity to practice that same reciprocity that comes from being in balance with nature—a reciprocity he learned about as a boy, sitting in the forest, feeling the breeze, and appreciating the peace and stillness of the hunt.

Now, as a key spokesperson for TPL’s Wáhsehtәkw land back effort, Chuck gets to weave together his life experience as a Penobscot tribal citizen and his education in forest operations. “As a tribe that relies on sustainable timber harvesting for our main source of income, Wáhsehtәkw affords us more opportunities now and in the future to provide for our people’s needs while also returning our ancestors’ land into our care,” he says with enthusiasm. “We once had claim to all of this land, which ultimately dwindled,” he continues. “We held that land in our minds in perpetuity. We are not your typical landowner. We have no record of development of any of our current lands; we are not a threat to shoreland or wetlands. We are responsible stewards, guided by our ancestors, elders, chief, and council to do the right thing by our land for our people.”

And as a father to a young daughter, Chuck is certainly looking ahead. He feels a responsibility to make things better, just as his family felt while he sat as boy in a hunting stand, listening to the forest and the lessons of our ancestors carried on the breeze.

This story originally ran in the spring/summer 2024 issue of Land&People magazine. Author Maulian Bryant is a Penobscot Nation citizen and served as Penobscot Nation Tribal Ambassador from 2017 to 2024. She is currently the executive director of the Wabanaki Alliance.