Phones Rock – Ancestor home of tribe located on Oriental side of Rappahannock river in Virginia. area, located within the Rappahannock Valley National Wildlife Refuge, will be publicly accessible and hosted in trust with the Bureau of Indian affairs. Tribe plans teach public about them history building a replica 16th century village and expanding their “Return to the River” program which trains tribal youth in traditional knowledge and practice of rivers.
“The department has the honor join rappahannock tribe in joint management of this part of their ancestral home. We are looking forward Drawing on tribal experience and indigenous knowledge in assistance in the management of wildlife and habitat areas,” said Secretary of State Holland. in statement. “This historic reacquisition highlights how Tribes, private landowners and other stakeholders play central role in this administration work to ensure our conservation efforts are local and support the health and well-being of society.”
rocks play central part in in history of tribe. In 1608 the tribe first clashed and defended their homeland against English settler Captain John Smith, who played an important role in in first permanent English settlement in America in Jamestown, Virginia. In the 1660s, the tribe began to be forcibly ousted from their homeland. on Rappahannock River by the British, according to the Chesapeake Conservancy.
In addition to cultural and historical significance for the tribe, the rocks also is crucial for wildlife: this place home to one of largest breeding populations of bald eagles on coast of the Atlantic Ocean, according to the Department of interior..
Tribe re-acquisition of his land was made possible through family of William Dodge Engle, who provided the necessary funds for Chesapeake Preserve in purchase 465 acres and donate the title to the Rappahannock tribe. Additional funding also Received from a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fund through Walmart’s Acres. for American program, according to the environmental organization.
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