Organization

Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians

Not yet reviewed by this nation. What follows comes from public records and research. It does not speak for the nation.

The Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians bought 1,327 acres along the Meduxnekeag River in Monticello, Maine in 2025 with conservation partners.

Kind
Tribal government
Native-led
tribal-government
Works with
Maliseet (Wabanaki)
Region
Aroostook County, ME
Focus
1,327 acres near Wilderness Pines Campground (2025, per BDN)
Vetting notes
Single-source (Bangor Daily News 7/6/2026).

What happened

The Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians is a federally recognized tribe in Aroostook County, Maine, and one of the five Wabanaki tribes in the Tributary Land Returns project. The Bangor Daily News names it with the Mi'kmaq Nation, the two Passamaquoddy communities and the Penobscot Nation.

The County, a local news outlet, reported in February 2025 that a 1,327-acre parcel along the North Branch of the Meduxnekeag River in Monticello had been returned to the Maliseet people after a two-year effort by the tribe and conservation groups. The land adjoins the tribe's Wilderness Pines Campground. Tribal Business News says First Light and The Nature Conservancy were partners, and that the Conservation Fund contributed too; amounts were not disclosed.

Susan Young, the tribe's real estate and natural resources director, said in a release that the parcel "represents the largest of the tribe's woodlots." The tribe's initial plans include more hunting, gathering and cultural activities, with long-term timber management for forest health and possible tribal income. The parcel includes three and a half miles of river frontage where the tribe has done stream restoration for cold-water fish.

The tribe said it plans to file a fee-to-trust application with the Bureau of Indian Affairs to convert the parcel to trust land.

Good to know. A tribal government, not a place to donate. The tribe planned to ask the federal government to take the land into trust.

Summarized with AI assistance from 4 sources and checked against their words; not yet reviewed by historians or by the nations. Report an error

What the sources say, and how this was checked

Supported by the sources below; some details rest on one source.

  1. the largest of the tribe's woodlotsThe County - Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians acquires 1,327 acres
  2. The tribe plans to submit a "fee to trust application" to the Bureau of Indian AffairsThe County - Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians acquires 1,327 acres
  3. The acquisition by the federally recognized tribe resulted from a partnership with First Light and The Nature Conservancy.Tribal Business News - Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians acquires 1,327 acres in Maine
  4. Houlton's Band of Maliseet Indians acquired 1,327 acres abutting tribally owned Wilderness Pines Campground last year.Bangor Daily News - Effort to restore 50K acres of Wabanaki land reaches halfway point

Research notes. The tribe's own website and release were not read; statements come from local news reports quoting the tribe's release. Purchase price not found. Whether the fee-to-trust application was filed or decided was not checked. Tribal government, not a donation channel.

We have not verified this organization well enough to link to it. See our donation integrity policy.

Connections

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Governing body of 1

Works in 1

Supports the return of 1

Sources

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The record’s fields
Registry
Sovereign government (no EIN needed); status per Federal Register list not checked this session
Kind
Organization
Confidence
Medium
Nation review
Not yet reviewed by this nation

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