拉帕汉诺克部落回归河流

保护悬崖

约瑟夫·麦考利，切萨皮克研究员

4月1日, 2022, joined by Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, 维吉尼亚州的拉帕汉诺克部落庆祝了他们几个世纪以来沿着以他们名字命名的河流返回家园的一个里程碑. With a generous donation from the family of William Dodge Angle, M.D., 十大赌博正规老平台协会购买并十大赌博正规老平台了465英亩的滨水地产，位于现在的里士满县, 维吉尼亚州, 致部落, who restored its original name of Pissacoack. 国家鱼类和野生动物基金会通过沃尔玛的美国英亩计划提供了额外的资金.

该物业位于标志性硅藻悬崖的中心，当地称为Fones Cliffs, 因其对秃鹰和其他候鸟的重要性而闻名，并因保护它的战斗而臭名昭著.

丰富的历史

关于拉帕汉诺克部落和他们在悬崖上的占领最早的书面记录来自英国探险家约翰·史密斯的日记, in which he describes the Tribe’s first recorded defense of their homeland in 1608. 当史密斯和他的船员向上游航行时, 拉帕汉诺克弓箭手伪装在悬崖附近的沼泽植被中，向史密斯的浅滩发射了一排箭, portending the fights that would surface hundreds of years later. 在17世纪余下的时间里, the Tribe was driven further and further from the cliffs and from the river itself. 弗吉尼亚殖民地和州政府对土著人民的侮辱和压迫是有据可查的. Only in recent times has that realization taken root in government policies, which are finally changing to recognize tribal sovereignty and make amends for past practices.

具有讽刺意味的是, 正是史密斯对切萨皮克湾及其居民的探索和描述，让十大赌博正规老平台协会第一次意识到丰斯悬崖. 十大赌博正规老平台协会的一个早期任务是并将继续支持国家公园管理局(NPS)的约翰·史密斯船长切萨皮克国家历史步道. The nation’s first water-based national historic trail, 切萨皮克小径(简称), traverses Smith’s routes up the Chesapeake’s tributaries, encouraging visitors to explore the magic of the Chesapeake and to learn about its many cultures. 海湾土著社区的复原力和坚韧性仍然是NPS继续研究的重点, 作为合作伙伴，共同寻求将传统知识纳入应对当前和未来的生态挑战. 正如十大赌博正规老平台协会主席兼执行董事乔尔·邓恩在4月1日的讲话中指出的那样, “The story of separation and loss is giving way to a new story of resilience, 恢复和重连接.”

持续的威胁

The fight to save Fones Cliffs took on new meaning for the Tribe, 十大赌博正规老平台协会和许多其他保护合作伙伴从2000年代中期开始一直持续到今天. 2007年，第一个警报开始响起。当时，一处250英亩的滨河地块的所有者获得了县政府的批准，可以将46个单元划分开来. 作为建议, 悬崖上有22块河边空地，下面有一个46滑的码头. Lengthy negotiations to secure the conservation of this property stretched into years, while a bigger and potentially far more devastating subdivision proposal surfaced.
In 2015, 弗吉尼亚特鲁公司, 总部设在纽约, received preliminary approval for a massive resort subdivision, 配有18洞高尔夫球场, 数以百计的公寓和独户住宅, 洛奇, 餐厅, 马厩等等. 这片占地968英亩的土地上的野生动物栖息地对秃鹰和数十种候鸟的繁殖具有重要价值，这将被摧毁. 更麻烦的是，未经记录和研究的拉帕汉诺克人使用这个网站的历史将永远消失.

While the county had hoped the development would bring much-needed jobs and tax revenue, it became apparent that the developers lacked the capacity to deliver on their outlandish promises. 2018年，当开发商非法将13英亩土地夷为平地时，这种认识变得痛苦而明显, 违反了州和县的法律. 由此产生的侵蚀导致悬崖顶部的树木倒下，悬崖表面滑落到拉帕汉诺克河中. The outcry from those who love and value the river and bay was heard clearly from 维吉尼亚州 to New York. In 2019, the company declared bankruptcy, and the case remains unresolved. While the resort proposal appears thankfully dead, the property remains unprotected and therefore at risk. 十大赌博正规老平台, 自然保育基金及其他保育合作伙伴正密切留意破产程序，以确保保育结果可被接受.

合作伙伴的成功扭转了局势

Despite the struggles to save the cliffs, the Rappahannock Tribe has found reasons to celebrate. 2017年，多亏了刘女士的慷慨解囊. 维吉尼亚州华纳, 十大赌博正规老平台协会促成了悬崖附近一英亩土地的十大赌博正规老平台，作为部落回归河流计划的集结区. 这一倡议对部落青年进行传统河流知识和实践方面的培训，并为其他对拉帕汉诺克河感兴趣的社区开展宣传和教育. 在2018年初, 部落终于实现了被联邦政府正式承认的长期目标, establishing tribal sovereignty and a government-to-government relationship. These victories paved the way for the tribal conservation success that would soon follow.

In 2018, 经过多年的争吵, the threatened 250-acre riverfront property was purchased by TCF and soon after was sold to the U.S. 鱼类和野生动物管理局(USFWS)申请纳入拉帕汉诺克河谷国家野生动物保护区. Today, the Tribe and the Refuge refer to this site as its original name of Wecuppom. 整个Fones Cliffs地层长期以来一直被USFWS确定为高度优先保护的区域. In 2019, the Tribe received an offer from the owners of over 1,100 acres at Fones Cliffs to sell the property 致部落. 这么多年来, 有关土地使用的问题, 土地保护, at the cliffs had been fraught with divisiveness. Now, at last, there was a path to conservation that was paved in cooperation and goodwill. 然而, the reality soon set in that waterfront property of this size, 在这个美丽而标志性的地方, 是昂贵的.

Rappahannock Tribe Chief Anne Richardson (left) with Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. 威尔·帕森/切萨皮克湾项目.

十大赌博正规老平台协会立即开始寻求资金帮助部落购买财产，并与TCF联手实现最终目标. It should have come as no surprise that despite the incredible attributes of Fones Cliffs, and the compelling interests of the Rappahannock Tribe, 筹款很困难. Funding for land conservation is highly competitive, with much demand and not enough supply. It seemed that a miracle would be needed to meet the deadline set by the landowners. And then, on the wings of an eagle, or perhaps a tundra swan, one was delivered 致部落.

2021年8月, 荒野协会和威廉·道奇·安格尔的家人找到了十大赌博正规老平台协会, M.D., who were seeking to conserve land on the Rappahannock River, with the caveat that the first project be “ready to go.这是在承认，土地交易有时需要数年时间才能把所有松散的细节都整理好, and the family was interested in making an immediate impact. 当安格尔一家游览丰斯悬崖的时候, 看到几十只鹰, 会见了安妮·理查森酋长，听她分享了她的想法，她想用悬崖作为一个地方，向世界传授她祖先的历史和生活方式, they immediately embraced the significance of the opportunity at hand. We will be forever grateful for their generosity, and the family legacy is now permanently enshrined on Fones Cliffs.

It has been said that success begets success. As the 十大赌博正规老平台 worked to complete due diligence requirements, the Tribe was working with other potential funders. In 2021, 国家鱼类和野生动物基金会通过沃尔玛的“美国土地计划”向该部落提供了赠款. 这些赠款资金与安格尔家族资金相结合，于2022年2月完成了465英亩的购买, where the name Pissacoack has now been restored to the property. As part of the transaction, a permanent conservation easement was granted to the USFWS. 在4月1日的典礼上, Chief Anne praised the tenacity and resilience of tribal ancestors as she declared, “这个圆圈现在已经完成了.”

拉帕汉诺克部落的故事以及他们与这些悬崖的联系始于数千年前. There is so much at stake with this site for the tribe, 国家野生动物保护区, 老鹰和其他野生动物, water quality and the Chesapeake that we must continue to work for its ultimate protection. 十大赌博正规老平台协会致力于与拉帕汉诺克部落站在一起，让他们继续谱写下一篇章.