The Penobscot Nation will regain 1,700 acres of forest and wetlands in central Maine through a transfer from the Appalachian Mountain Club — part of the tribe’s ongoing effort to restore portions of its ancestral territory.
The parcel, located in Barnard Township, was included in AMC’s recent $15.2 million acquisition of the nearly 29,000-acre Barnard Forest.
Penobscot Nation Natural Resources Director Chuck Loring Jr. told Tribal Business News the acquisition would open the land back up for tribal access along long-unused roads. From there, the tribe planned to apply to have the land taken into trust, which would give the tribe full jurisdiction over resource gathering and harvesting in the area.
“We’re going to enroll this into our forestry program and get a management plan developed - there will be some timber harvesting in the future,” Loring said. “There’s no plans for development or housing or anything - it’s not too far removed, but far enough that I don’t see infrastructure development really on the plate.”
AMC purchased the northern half in 2023 and finalized the southern half Tuesday with assistance from the Malone Family Land Preservation Foundation and the Conservation Fund, according to a story by the Portland Press Herald. AMC Vice President of Land and Conservation Steve Tatko approached during the acquisition process to arrange the return.
“The Penobscot are neighbors of ours, and their communities are so intrinsically linked to these places that this, to me, felt like the right thing to do,” Tatko told the Press Herald.
The land, which contains former logging roads and lies within the Pleasant River watershed, will be transferred without conservation easements, allowing the tribe to manage it under its own forestry and habitat priorities. Loring said the addition will improve access to adjacent trust lands and support wildlife and water quality goals, including habitat restoration for Atlantic salmon.
The transfer follows larger landback initiatives involving the Penobscot Nation. In partnership with the Trust for Public Land, the tribe is preparing to receive roughly 30,000 acres near Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument — the largest such return from a U.S.-based nonprofit to a tribal nation without land-use restrictions.
That project, announced in 2023, is part of a broader Wabanaki-led effort to expand tribal stewardship across Maine.
