More than 200 years after their land was taken by the state and federal governments, the Onondaga Nation is now reclaiming a small fraction of its original 2.5 million acre territory. Nation representatives recently signed a legal document with Honeywell International for the return of 1,000 acres of pristine land at the headwaters of Onondaga Creek, south of the current reservation. WAER News met with long-time Nation legal counsel Joe Heath at one of the tributaries.
“This is the largest portion of land that's been returned to an indigenous nation," Heath said. "And just as significantly is that the jurisdiction and control and stewardship of it has been returned to the nation. That was not an easy accomplishment.”
The process took four years. The 1,000 acres is known as Tully Valley, and includes at least five waterfalls, plus sensitive and biodiverse wetlands. Heath says the location means the waters of the roughly 60 Onondaga Creek tributaries are free of the pollution found downstream.
“We have pictures from the 50s and 60s of people taking 20, 21 inch trout out of that stream. Gone now," Heath said. "So the Onondaga people lost all the fishing in Onondaga Lake, all the other hundreds of places they had in their two and a half million acres, and now really have no face place to safely fish. That's one of the most important aspects of regaining this land.”
Heath says the Onondaga Nation and others are working to restore a struggling brook trout population. The land transfer agreement was assisted by the state and federal governments.
