Celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day  

On this Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Restore America’s Estuaries celebrates the countless Indigenous communities that reside on estuaries, commemorates those Tribal Nations who were removed from their land over the previous centuries, and recognizes all Indigenous advocates who fight for cleaner ecosystems.

One week ago, four of those champions gathered at the RAE Coastal & Estuarine Summit to share their experiences and also their hopes for the future of coastal conservation. During the opening plenary, a panel of coastal leaders from Tribal Nations around Chesapeake Bay shared their thoughts on “Tribal Efforts to Protect and Restore the Chesapeake,” and created a platform for tribal voices to speak about models for protecting and restoring ecosystems on tribal lands and partnership opportunities for economic development and conservation featuring:

  • Nikki Bass, Tribal Citizen of the Nansemond Indian Nation
  • Dana Adkins, Tribal Environmental Director of the Chickahominy Indian Tribe
  • Christy Everett, Director of the Hampton Bay office of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation
  • Melissa Ehrenreich, Executive Director of the Indigenous Conservation Council of the Chesapeake Bay

These dedicated advocates reminded Summit attendees of the importance of inclusive decision-making, underscoring that Tribal Nations must be actively involved in every stage of coastal restoration planning. Their message was clear: Indigenous knowledge and leadership are essential to the health of our ecosystems, and their voices must be present at every table where decisions are being made.

For a more detailed account of this insightful panel, we invite you to read Melissa Ehrenreich’s recap, which offers her personal reflections on the discussion.

As we commemorate Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we also encourage those who may not be part of a Tribal Nation but are interested in building stronger partnerships with Tribal Nations and Indigenous organizations in Virginia and beyond to explore opportunities for collaboration. The Indigenous Conservation Council for the Chesapeake Bay (ICC) has compiled a list of resources designed to inspire learning, growth, and deeper connections. Today invites everyone to reflect, engage, and take action toward a more inclusive and sustainable future for our estuaries and coasts.

RESOURCES: Indian Country 101: A resource developed by the Whitener Group for The Nature Conservancy that is a self-paced, free online course. Designed for non-native allies to provide a beginner’s grounding in sovereignty and tribal governments.

  • Free Prior and Informed Consent: Do you know the international rights of Indigenous Peoples? Check out the UN Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples and understand more about how you can support FPIC.
  • Changing the Narrative About Native Americans: A Guide for Allies: A guide developed by First Nations Development Institute through their Reclaiming Narrative Truth series.
  • Sovereign-to-Sovereign Co-Management Agreements: An emerging repository of background on co-management principles, sample agreements, and best practices from a collaborative effort by theNative American Rights Fund, the Gallagher Law Library and the Native American Law Center at the University of Washington School of Law, the Bolle Center for People and Forests at the University of Montana, the Wilderness Society, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Henry Luce Foundation, the Wilburforce Foundation, and the First Nations Development Institute.
  • Virtual Learning Events About Tribal Issues: The Native Americans in Philanthropy regularly hosted online events on topical issues centering tribal voices and lived experiences.
  • The Federal Boarding School Initiative: A initiative launched by US Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland to investigate and support truth and healing around the impacts of federal boarding schools to native communities to this day.
  • Land Grab Universities: An in-depth investigative report of how the theft of native lands can be traced to the formation of land grant universities around the nation compiled by High Country News which provides a powerful starting point to revisit connections between higher education and the Land Back movement.
  • Native Nation Building: Dive into the Native Nations Institute’s free online Indigenous Governance Database for lots of resources about how to support sovereignty-rich nation-building models.
  • Native Online News Outlets: Consider subscribing to Native News Online, Bioneers, Cultural Survival, the NDN Newsletter, the Native Nations Institute, or other native-produced content.

Virginia-specific resources:

  • Sovereign Nations of Virginia Conference: An annual conference series to support greater awareness of sovereignty for tribes in the Commonwealth of Virginia (held in September each year both in person and online)
  • Tribal Truths Podcast: A podcast produced by Virginia Public Media to highlight Indigenous stories, cultures, and places.
  • Indigenous Perspectives: An online compilation of tribal perspectives, documents, and artifacts compiled in collaboration with Virginia tribes and the Library of Virginia.
  • Indigenous Cultural Landscapes in the Chesapeake: A series of reports commissioned by the National Park service and partners to document the Indigenous Cultural Landscapes to support greater understanding of Indigenous histories and connections to the Chesapeake.
  • The Indigenous Conservation Council: Follow our LinkedIn page or sign up for our newsletter for lots of shared information about land and conservation efforts of Tribal Nations in Virginia.