The Virginian-Pilot | www.pilotonline.com — The Rappahannock Indian Tribe has acquired a large and significant property that once comprised part of its ancestral homeland. Last week, the tribe announced that it had taken possession of 969 acres at Fones Cliffs in Richmond County on the eastern bank of the Rappahannock River. The Conservation Fund, a...Read More
Virginia Mercury | www.virginiamercury.com — On Wednesday, the Rappahannock Tribe announced it acquired the largest amount of its ancestral lands to date with the transfer of nearly 1,000 acres from The Conservation Fund, to be preserved in perpetuity under easement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Virginia Board of Historic Resources. All...Read More
American Rivers | www.americanrivers.org — Declining groundwater levels and a lack of comprehensive water supply planning amidst rapid population growth and expanding industries in Virginia has landed the Rappahannock River as #6 on American Rivers’ list of America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2025. The Rappahannock River is an iconic recreational waterway and the longest free-flowing...Read More
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service | www.fws.gov — For the Rappahannock Tribe of Virginia, river herring and oysters are vital for both ecosystem health and Tribal traditions. Since time immemorial both species have been a food source for Tribal citizens and a connection to nature with the annual river herring run symbolizing a new year...Read More
Native American Fish and Wildlife Society | www.nafws.org — Utilizing funding awarded by the America the Beautiful Challenge competitive grant program for ecological restoration and cultural preservation, the Rappahannock Tribe is completing a Master Plan supporting and broadening the goal of their Return to the River Initiative – reengaging youth and other Tribal members with...Read More
Vox | www.vox.com — … In Virginia, the member tribes of the Indigenous Conservation Council for the Chesapeake Bay are engaged in Land Back and restoration projects to help blunt the impact of climate change on the Chesapeake Bay, which could see more than 5 feet of sea level rise in the next century. In...Read More
Summarized from: Rappahannock Tribe gives Kaine a close-up view of conservation partnership | WVTF Rappahannock Chief Anne Richardson is sitting quietly amid a group, excited by acres of pristine marshes and curious bald eagles as their boat plies the Rappahannock River 100 feet below Fones Cliffs, the place of her ancestral towns. She’s been...Read More
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced two budget proposals aimed towards protecting Virginia’s natural resources and sites of cultural significance for people of color, including Black and Indigenous communities. Northam is proposing $10 million to create the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Conservation Fund. The funding would be put towards...Read More
It seems like a small thing to grant. After a 414-year land grab, the Commonwealth of Virginia is giving federally recognized tribes some say-so in what happens on land that was taken from them. Last month, Gov. Ralph Northam signed an order that will at last give Native Americans some control of that land. The...Read More
Gov. Ralph Northam (D) on Thursday signedan order requiring state agencies to consult with Virginia Indian tribes before making decisions that affect land, waterways and other natural sites important to Indigenous peoples. That means tribal leadership will have a say in development that could disturb, for example, ancient burial grounds before showdowns between bulldozers and...Read More
