09/15/2026
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A major land return in the Adirondacks is placing 600 acres of forest back under Haudenosaunee care.
The Six Nations Iroquois Cultural Center has acquired the wooded property in Onchiota, New York, from Paul Smith’s College for $1.1 million, with funding and assistance from The Nature Conservancy. The land lies in traditional Kanien’kehá:ka, or Mohawk, territory, within the homelands of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.
The Nature Conservancy has described the acquisition as one of the largest private land returns in New York’s history. It also builds on a 2022 transfer of 330 nearby acres secured through a partnership with the Adirondack Land Trust, bringing the Cultural Center’s stewardship in Onchiota to about 900 acres.
The land will support an expanded cultural center, Haudenosaunee gatherings, land-based education, and youth programming. It will also provide a permanent home for the Native Earth Program, which brings Indigenous high school students together to build community, reconnect with the Earth, and develop environmental leadership skills.
For director David Fadden, the acquisition continues work begun by Ray and Christine Fadden, who founded the Six Nations Iroquois Cultural Center in 1954 to educate Native and non-Native communities about Haudenosaunee history, culture, and contemporary realities.
Plans include ecological surveys to identify sensitive areas, food and medicinal plants, wildlife habitat, and future trail routes. Conservation easements are also expected, with partners working to include Haudenosaunee perspectives and Mohawk language in the agreements.
The project draws on long-standing Haudenosaunee principles of responsibility to future generations, including care for clean air, clean water, and healthy ecosystems.
What role do land-based learning spaces play in keeping Indigenous knowledge strong for future generations?
Sources: North Country Public Radio, The Nature Conservancy, WWNY, Native News Online, Ictnews
