Organization
Trust for Public Land (TPL)
Trust for Public Land, a non-Indigenous conservation nonprofit, bought over 31,000 Maine acres in 2022 intending to return them to the Penobscot Nation.
- Kind
- 501(c)(3) conservation nonprofit (non-Indigenous)
- Native-led
- no
- Works with
- Wabanaki nations (Tributary Land Returns partner); tribal land partnerships
- Region
- San Francisco, CA; national
- Registry
- EIN 23-7222333 (ProPublica)
What happened
The Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national conservation nonprofit. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer lists it as a 501(c)(3) with exemption issued in February 1978. What follows comes from news coverage.
Tribal Business News reported on November 4, 2023 that TPL had secured more than 31,000 acres in Maine's Katahdin region with plans to return them to the Penobscot people. The article says TPL bought the land in 2022 from Conservation Resources, LLC, for $29.5 million, and was hoping to raise $32 million to repay loans taken out for the purchase and return the acreage to the Penobscot Nation. It also quotes the Penobscot Nation's natural resources director on the value of access to a national monument. The article names Ken Lucero, an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Zia, as TPL's Tribal and Indigenous Lands Director.
Maine Public, on June 26, 2026, named Trust for Public Land as one of the partners in the Tributary Land Returns with the five federally recognized Wabanaki tribes.
Reports do not say whether the Penobscot return has been completed.
Good to know. A non-Indigenous conservation group; a gift to it is not a gift to the Penobscot Nation. The $32 million was a fundraising goal, and reports do not say whether the Penobscot return is complete.
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
Thinly sourced: read the sources and cautions before relying on this.
Tax exemption issued: Feb. 1978 EIN: 23-7222333
ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer: Trust for Public LandTrust for Public Land bought the land in 2022 from timber management organization Conservation Resources, LLC, for $29.5 million.
Trust for Public Land initiates historic land return (Tribal Business News)hoping to raise $32 million in financing to pay back loans taken out in pursuit of the land
Trust for Public Land initiates historic land return (Tribal Business News)Maine Coast Heritage Trust, The Nature Conservancy of Maine, Trust for Public Land, and The Conservation Fund, are all partners in the land-back effort.
Mi'kmaq Nation to expand lands with new Aroostook County parcel
Research notes. TPL's website could not be opened (blocked), so its program claims, leadership and donation page are unverified. The Penobscot return was a plan in the 2023 article; completion was not confirmed here. The $32 million is a fundraising goal. A gift to TPL is not a gift to the Penobscot Nation.
Visit the organization’s website
Connections
These links were matched automatically by name or date and have not yet been reviewed by a person.
Works with 3
Works in 1
Sources
- tpl.org/self-description
The record’s fields
- Focus
- Land conservation; Tribal and Native Lands work [program page could not be read this session]
- Vetting notes
- Named as a Tributary Land Returns partner (Maine Public, June 26, 2026). Its own 'Tribal and Native Lands' program page failed to load, so program claims are unverified. Donation URL not checked.
- Kind
- Organization
- Confidence
- Medium