Project Partners

Our primary contacts for the project were Leslie Jonas and Chuckie Green. Leslie is the Vice

Chair of the Native Land Conservancy and the Building Committee Chair for the Wampanoag

Nation Common Lands Cultural Education Center. Chuckie is a Culture Keeper for Preserving

Our Homelands (POH) and the former Natural Resource Director for the Mashpee Wampanoag.

Both Leslie and Chuckie are members of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the Wampanoag

Nation. In our many conversations with both, including an in-person site tour over Zoom, it

became apparent how enthusiastic both Leslie and Chuckie are for the future of the Muddy Pond

site. Below are quotes which we feel embody the restoration perspectives of our project partners

in their approach to the Muddy Pond site.

Leslie Jonas (she/her):

“Throughout this project, the hope is to inspire anyone getting involved with the site—a visitor,

a partner, or a member, or an attendee at an event—to be a part of our desire to assist people in

creating a connection with our Earth Mother, whether through [environmentally] restorative or

cultural processes. Reuniting the Wampanoag Nation through this project is key. Whatever we

do, the sole purpose is to have humans reconnect and fall back in love with our Earth Mother. ”

Chuckie Green (he/him):

“Our kids could go in there and start restoring the environment. Bringing back the native plants

that are no longer there and helping to remove some of the invasives that are there. So I mean, I

see that as being a definite benefit to my kids: being able to explain to my kids why this is

important, and then being able to bring in scientists to also tell them why this is important, why

should we do this.”

We have also included the Native Land Conservancy’s vision statement for the Muddy Pond site,

which will, after the land is transferred to the NLC. This vision statement provides insight into

NLC’s purpose and philosophy for the site.

The Native Land Conservancy’s Mission Statement for Muddy Pond

With its acquisition and eco-restoration of the Muddy Pond property, the Native Land

Conservancy can rescue ancestral homelands and support Wampanoag Indigenous lifeways and

cultural practices. The Wampanoag Nation Common Lands of Muddy Pond in Kingston MA will

offer a new beginning for old ways through the creation of enriching programs for natives and

the general population.

Purpose of the Project

This project traces the history of a 32-acre site on Muddy Pond in Kingston, Massachusetts. This

project also envisions possible ecological, cultural, and social futures for this site as it is restored

by the Native Land Conservancy, becoming part of the Wampanoag Nation Common Lands. Our

team, composed of the researchers listed above, worked this semester to make the history and

future of Muddy Pond legible through this report. This project was accomplished primarily

through conversations with stakeholders who, while holding differing land management

philosophies, are working in collaboration to support the transition of this land to its original

stewards: the Wampanoag Nation. As the reader goes through this report, it is crucial to keep in

mind that the return of lands to Indigeous peoples is a key intent behind the Muddy Pond

restoration. This return includes the agency for Indigenous peoples to decide how the land is

restored, stewarded, and engaged with.

This project was carried out in collaboration with the Native Land Conservancy, which is led by

members of the Wampanoag Nation. Overall, the project team aimed to document and synthesize

the Native Land Conservancy’s efforts to integrate Traditional Ecological Knowledge and STEM

in restoring Muddy Pond’s social, ecological, and cultural systems. This was accomplished

through the following actions:

1. processing stakeholder dialogue through interviews, presentations, and the site visit;

2. narrating the present state of the site through an interactive GIS StoryMap; and

3. recording the envisioned possible futures for the site through a final report.

The following report focuses on a wide breadth of aspects to the site, but particularly emphasizes

the historic land uses, invasive species, culturally significant species, and cultural programming

of the site.