{"id":13482,"date":"2025-04-21T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-21T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/feathersandwhiskey.com\/?p=13482"},"modified":"2025-04-16T10:41:08","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T14:41:08","slug":"where-the-water-returns-land-heritage-and-the-lumbee-legacy-at-camp-island","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/feathersandwhiskey.com\/?p=13482","title":{"rendered":"Where the Water Returns: Land, Heritage, and the Lumbee Legacy at Camp Island"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
By Michael Maynor <\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

In the heart of Robeson County, North Carolina\u2014where blackwater creeks meander through pine woods and longleaf savannah\u2014something remarkable has happened. On a quiet stretch of land known as <\/span>Camp Island<\/b>, 1,382 acres of ancestral ground have been returned to the hands of the <\/span>Lumbee Tribe<\/b>, reconnecting a people to the wild lands they\u2019ve known for generations.<\/span><\/p>

This is more than just a real estate transaction. This is conservation. This is cultural restoration. This is history bending back toward justice.<\/span><\/p>

Thanks to the joint efforts of <\/span>Open Space Institute (OSI)<\/b>, <\/span>Ducks Unlimited<\/b>, and the support of a private family foundation, the Camp Island property was secured and <\/span>donated to the Lumbee Tribe<\/b>, marking the <\/span>first major protected area under Lumbee stewardship<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>

For those of us who love the Southern outdoors\u2014who live for the whistle of wings at dawn, the crackle of pine needles under boot, the sight of a wood duck lifting off a quiet backwater\u2014this story hits home in a deeper way.<\/span><\/p>

Because this isn\u2019t just about saving a place.<\/span>
<\/span> It\u2019s about saving what the place means.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Land Returned, Land Restored<\/b><\/h3>

\u00a0<\/p>

Once inaccessible to the tribe for generations, Camp Island is now a symbol of healing and reconnection.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cWe are excited to reconnect with this land, which we\u2019ve not been able to access for a very long time,\u201d said Lumbee Tribal Chairman <\/span>John Lowery<\/b>. \u201cOur people are outdoors people, and the ability to steward this land for Lumbee and visitors alike is truly special.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Rich with <\/span>cultural significance<\/b>, the property is home to <\/span>indigenous artifacts<\/b>, sacred spaces, and habitats that have sustained both wildlife and community for centuries. From the sweetgum thickets to the tupelo swamps, Camp Island echoes with the rhythm of the natural world\u2014and the memories of those who lived in harmony with it long before surveyors arrived.<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

The Conservation Angle<\/b><\/h3>

\u00a0<\/p>

This effort wasn\u2019t just about reclaiming heritage\u2014it was also a landmark win for <\/span>wildlife conservation<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>

Funded in part by the <\/span>North American Wetlands Conservation Act<\/b>, and facilitated by <\/span>Ducks Unlimited<\/b>, the project ensures that Camp Island will remain a <\/span>preserved natural area<\/b>, protected from development and managed with care.<\/span><\/p>

It\u2019s the kind of partnership that shows what\u2019s possible when <\/span>conservationists and Indigenous communities<\/b> work together: wetlands protected, migratory birds preserved, forests managed sustainably, and the sacred trust of stewardship passed to those with deep roots in the soil.<\/span><\/p>

The tribe has already announced plans for <\/span>wildlife conservation<\/b>, <\/span>forest management<\/b>, <\/span>environmental studies<\/b>, <\/span>outdoor recreation<\/b>, and <\/span>tribal game lands<\/b>\u2014a comprehensive vision that balances tradition and science, culture and ecology.<\/span><\/p>

This is good news for <\/span>wood ducks<\/b>, <\/span>mallards<\/b>, and <\/span>wigeon<\/b>. It\u2019s good news for <\/span>wild turkeys<\/b>, <\/span>whitetail<\/b>, and the people who hunt them. And it\u2019s good news for future generations of Lumbee citizens who will walk these trails, fish these sloughs, and hear the stories of their ancestors beneath these same tall pines.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Why It Matters<\/b><\/h3>

There\u2019s something poetic about this moment\u2014something Southern, something eternal. That the <\/span>largest population of American Indians east of the Mississippi River<\/b> has regained a piece of its homeland, and will now use it to protect wetlands, educate youth, and reconnect people with the land.<\/span><\/p>

Conservation has always been about more than ducks and deer. It\u2019s about heritage. It\u2019s about identity. It\u2019s about remembering where we come from and caring enough to preserve it.<\/span><\/p>

At Feathers & Whiskey, we believe in that kind of story. We believe in standing in the mud with a retriever and a thermos, and we believe in standing alongside our Native neighbors as they write a new chapter in the long story of this land.<\/span><\/p>

The return of Camp Island isn\u2019t just a win for the Lumbee\u2014it\u2019s a win for everyone who still hears the call of the wild.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cTo conserve a place, you must first know what it means to someone.\u201d<\/b><\/p>


<\/b> That\u2019s the story of Camp Island. And it\u2019s just beginning.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On a quiet stretch of land known as Camp Island, 1,382 acres of ancestral ground have been returned to the hands of the Lumbee Tribe, reconnecting a people to the wild lands they\u2019ve known for generations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13619,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hunting"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/feathersandwhiskey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/lumbee-005.jpeg","acf":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/feathersandwhiskey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13482","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/feathersandwhiskey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/feathersandwhiskey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feathersandwhiskey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feathersandwhiskey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13482"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/feathersandwhiskey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13482\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13624,"href":"https:\/\/feathersandwhiskey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13482\/revisions\/13624"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feathersandwhiskey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/feathersandwhiskey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13482"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feathersandwhiskey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13482"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feathersandwhiskey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}