Historic Land-Back Partnership Returns More Than 900 Acres to Indigenous Stewardship in the Adirondacks

ONCHIOTA, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Paul Smith’s College has joined the Six Nations Iroquois Cultural Center, The Nature Conservancy, and the Adirondack Land Trust in a landmark land-back partnership that will return more than 900 acres of land in Onchiota, New York to Indigenous stewardship. This agreement represents the largest private-sector land-back in New York State history and builds on Paul Smith’s College’s longstanding history of collaboration with Indigenous communities.

Under the agreement, The Nature Conservancy purchased 600 acres of land from Paul Smith’s College for $1.1 million and transferred ownership to the Six Nations Iroquois Cultural Center, which will privately own and steward the land in perpetuity. In parallel, the Adirondack Land Trust has already transferred 300 acres of adjoining land to the Cultural Center, creating a unified 900-acre tract that the Cultural Center will steward according to both Indigenous traditions and scientific ecological principles. Going forward, Paul Smith’s College will explore opportunities for continuing its ongoing collaborations with the Cultural Center focused on education, research, and student engagement.

This historic agreement stands alongside other significant efforts in New York, including the State’s 1,000-acre return to the Onondaga Nation, and represents a major milestone in voluntary, private-sector land-return initiatives. Around the world, similar initiatives are advancing through treaty settlements, conservation partnerships, and voluntary private transfers, reflecting a growing recognition of Indigenous peoples’ enduring relationship to land and their leadership in its long-term stewardship. This partnership offers a model for how private institutions and conservation organizations can participate in that movement in ways that center Indigenous ownership and decision-making.

“This land has long been a place of learning. We are proud that its next chapter centers the leadership of the Six Nations Iroquois Cultural Center and the restoration of cultural and ecological relationships that far predate the College,” said Paul Smith’s College President Dan Kelting. “As an institution grounded in experiential education and environmental responsibility, we see this partnership as an opportunity to invite our students to learn alongside Indigenous knowledge holders while advancing shared goals of long-term stewardship.”

For Paul Smith’s College, this moment builds on years of deliberate work to recognize and welcome Indigenous presence in the Adirondacks. To date, the College has researched, documented, and publicly acknowledged 12,000 years of Indigenous presence on lands that now represent its campus, installed a New York State historical marker recognizing Lower St. Regis Lake’s Indigenous name — Akwesasne Lake — and supported Indigenous-oriented campus programming and student organizations. It has also established scholarships for First Nations students and developed its formal land acknowledgment in direct collaboration with local Indigenous partners.

Reflecting on the significance of the moment, President Kelting added, “Today is about more than a land return; it represents another meaningful step in Paul Smith’s College’s ongoing commitment to building strong, respectful relationships with Indigenous communities. We look forward to where this partnership will lead and, just as importantly, what it will teach our students.”

About Paul Smith’s College

At Paul Smith’s College, it’s about the experience. As the only four-year college located in the Adirondack Park in upstate New York, Paul Smith’s provides real-world, hands-on learning in fields such as business and hospitality, culinary management, forestry, environmental sciences and natural resources. We are able to draw on industries and resources available in our own backyard while preparing students for successful careers anywhere. Our community of resourceful, enterprising, supportive and adventurous individuals collectively provide experiential education, student support in the classroom and beyond and meaningful opportunities for our alumni. We pride ourselves on research and advocacy on issues that improve our planet and the lives of the people who inhabit it. Learn more at paulsmiths.edu.