Return of the Chickahominy

Photo Courtesy of the Office of the Governor of Virginia

Ancestral Land Acquired

Photo Courtesy of the Office of the Governor of Virginia

The summer of 2019 was a major milestone in honoring the Chickahominy Tribe when, after 370 years, the tribe was reunited with their ancestral land. The 105-acre site along the James River known as Chickahominy on the Powhatan was purchased by the tribe with a $3.18 million grant from the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation. In addition, the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, which assisted the tribe in the grant application, signed an easement with the tribe to permanently protect the land from urban development.

Plans have been created to construct a tribal office, cultural education center, information kiosks, farm buildings and additional structures to showcase and preserve the culture of the Chickahominy. The land is valuable ecologically as well, as the area has been identified as a conservation priority for its role in protecting wildlife diversity, Chesapeake Bay water quality, and scenic recreational opportunities. This is a success for not only the Chickahominy tribe, but for the wellbeing of the Chesapeake Bay watershed as well.

Photo Courtesy of the Office of the Governor of Virginia

Land Conservation Funders

$3.18 million – Virginia Land Conservation Foundation