Island Access Working Group

To borrow Tony Sutton’s phrase, the coastal islands were Wabanaki “places of sustenance” that were colonized first. Centuries later, conservation narratives of these same islands often reinforce that erasure story while celebrating the tenure and charity of very recent, white landowners. These issues are among the most sensitive and difficult for many Wabanaki people,  and critically important for island stewards to come to grips with and attempt to reconcile. The Island Access Working Group works to address both cultural and physical access issues while intentionally returning Wabanaki self-determination about the narratives of these islands.  There’s so much for  organizations to learn and do differently, and we will be better equipped to do both if we work together in the process of understanding the history, critically viewing the conservation narrative about coastal islands, and guaranteeing access in a manner that prioritizes Wabanaki people and experience.

In 2023, the working group helped develop the Wabanaki Island Access Gathering (more here), and we are actively building new projects to support the return to islands for 2024.