GOVERNOR
HOCHUL, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR AND ONONDAGA NATION ANNOUNCE ONE OF
THE LARGEST RETURNS OF LAND TO AN INDIGENOUS NATION BY ANY STATE
More
Than 1,000 Acres in Central New York's Tully Valley Returned to
Onondaga Nation to Create a Wildlife and Brook Trout Sanctuary
Open
Space Protected, Cultural Practices Supported, Public Access Secured
Following Agreement Connected to Onondaga Lake Contamination Settlement
Governor
Kathy Hochul, joined by United States Department of Interior Secretary
Deb Haaland and Onondaga Nation
Tadodaho Sidney Hill, today announced a historic agreement as part of
the Onondaga Lake Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration
Program that will return more than 1,000 acres of scenic land to the
Nation. As Natural Resource Trustees for the settlement
with Honeywell International, Inc., the New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation and the Department of the Interior's Fish and
Wildlife Service signed a resolution that directs Honeywell to transfer
the title to more than 1,000 acres of open
space in Central New York's Tully Valley to the Onondaga Nation - one
of the largest returns of land by any state to an Indigenous nation.
"Today is a historic day for New York State, the Biden Administration, and our many partners in respecting and
recognizing the Onondaga Nation as the original stewards of these lands and waters," Governor Hochul said. "This
scenic location in the Tully Valley will be owned by the Nation and its
people to continue their legacy of conservation that will protect
these cultural and ecological resources for the benefit of Nation
citizens and all New Yorkers for generations to come."
Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said,
"This historic agreement represents a
unique opportunity to return traditional homelands back to Indigenous
people to steward for the benefit of their community. We look forward to
drawing upon the Onondaga Nation's expertise
and Indigenous knowledge in helping manage the area's valuable wildlife
and habitat. Consistent with the President's America the Beautiful initiative, all of us have a role to play in this Administration's work to ensure our conservation efforts are
locally led and support communities' health and well-being."
Tadodaho Sidney Hill said, "It
is with great joy that the Onondaga Nation welcomes the return of the
first substantial acreage of its ancestral homelands. The Nation can now
renew its stewardship obligations to restore these lands and waters and
to preserve them for the future generations
yet to come. The Nation hopes that this cooperative,
government-to-government effort will be another step in healing between
themselves and all others who live in this region which has been the
homeland of the Onondaga Nation since the dawn of time."
The
historic agreement is a result of the March 2018 NRDAR settlement
between the Trustees and Honeywell International, Inc., and will convey
the title of the land owned by Honeywell to the Onondaga Nation to
restore and manage the property using Traditional Ecological Knowledge
(TEK), historical cultural practices, and sound
science.
The
Tully Valley property includes the headwaters of Onondaga Creek,
more than 45 acres of wetland and floodplains and approximately 980
acres of forest and successional fields. The cold waters of Onondaga
Creek support a small population of brook trout, which may be fully
restored with proper stewardship. The wetlands, floodplains,
forests, and fields are home to wildlife such as great blue heron,
songbirds, waterfowl, hawks, bald eagles, frogs, bats, and other mammals
including white-tailed deer.
The
federal-nation-state partnership that led to the return of this
property to the Onondaga people will include a conservation easement
with DEC. The easement will protect and restore natural areas, including
fish and wildlife habitats, and allow compatible outdoor recreational
and educational uses, including public access
to Fellows Falls.
Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos said, "We
congratulate the Onondaga Nation, Secretary Haaland, and our many
federal, state, and local partners in celebrating the ongoing
restoration of Central New York communities from a history of
contamination. With today's announcement, New York State is a national
leader, acknowledging the legacy of natural resource protection
provided by our Indigenous neighbors and transferring more than 1,000
acres of land to the Onondaga Nation to conserve and steward."
Senator Chuck Schumer said,
"This historic agreement will return over 1,000 acres of natural
landscape to the Onondaga Nation where it rightfully belongs. Once
again, the Onondaga people will have access to the headwaters of
Onondaga Creek, surrounding forests, and natural landscapes
of this scenic part of Central New York. I applaud Secretary Haaland,
Governor Hochul, and the leaders of Onondaga Nation for working together
to broker this historic deal and pledge my full support to continue to
support the Onondaga people to protect their
lands and ensure they have the full resources they need to continue to
build a brighter future."
State Senator Rachel May said,
"I welcome this announcement that the headwaters of Onondaga Creek and
over 1,000 acres in Tully Valley will be restored to the care of the
Onondaga Nation. I have been present many times when members of the
Nation talked with great emotion about these lands,
about fishing in the crystal clear waters of the creek, and about their
fundamental kinship to the land, water, plants animals, and natural
processes there. The Nation has never ceased its commitment to caring
for the land through the practices of traditional
ecological knowledge and active, healing gratitude. I believe this
decision will be beneficial to all who live in the area and give thanks
to the many parties who came together to reach this agreement."
Assemblymember Pamela Hunter said,
"This historic return of indigenous land to Onondaga Nation is the
right thing to do and ensures that these lands will be environmentally
preserved for generations to come. I look forward to the restoration of
ecosystems as well as the return of sustainable
hunting and fishing practices by Nation residents."
The
Onondaga Nation will develop a Restoration Management Plan, in
consultation with the Trustees, to determine the type and extent of
recreational and public use that will not interfere with the Nation's
re-establishment of culturally and ecologically significant native
vegetation and habitats.
The
funding and implementation of NRDAR projects by the Trustees is a
result of the legal settlement with Honeywell
following the past release of included mercury and other hazardous
substances to Onondaga Lake, its tributaries, and uplands. As part of
the Onondaga Lake NRDAR process, the USFWS and DEC assessed
contaminant-related injuries to natural resources such as waterfowl
and turtles, and quantified the lost use of natural resources to the
public, such as fishing. The agencies then solicited restoration project
ideas from a wide variety of stakeholders and the Onondaga Nation to
identify the types and scale of restoration needed
to compensate for those natural resource injuries, as well as projects
that could help address cultural losses to the Nation and its citizens.
Honeywell
International is required by the settlement to implement 18 restoration
projects, including the Tully
Valley land transfer announced today, and pay more than $5 million for
the Trustees' implementation of additional restoration projects in and
around the Onondaga Lake Watershed. Projects completed or in the process include
100 acres of grassland restoration; preservation and restoration of an
additional 850 acres of habitat within the Onondaga Lake watershed; a
public boat ramp along the Seneca River; enhanced habitat and fishing
opportunities along the shores of Onondaga Lake
and in Ninemile Creek; a public boat ramp along the Seneca River; an
extension of the Empire State Trail from Camillus to Harbor Brook; and
the transfer of the Honeywell Visitor Center to the State.
Copies
of the Restoration Plan for Onondaga Lake, can be found on the USFWS website. For more information, about the cleanup of Onondaga Lake, visit here.
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