Coalition

Organizational Letter .

We, the undersigned organizations, support the return of Maple Bay to the caretaking of the Onondaga Nation.

In order to repair relations between people, land, and water, we support the return of Maple Bay to the Onondaga Nation.

The Onondaga County Legislature passed resolutions in 2011 and 2016 committing to a return of land on the shores of Onondaga Lake. Maple Bay, located on the north shores of Onondaga Lake, has emerged as the best place to be returned.

Following the recent example of the return of 1,000 acres of land to the Onondaga Nation, we call upon the Onondaga County Legislature to honor their commitments and send legislation to the County Executive that returns Maple Bay to the Onondaga Nation.

Published November 2025

Endorsing organizations: .

• American Indian Law Alliance
• Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation (NOON)
• Syracuse Peace Council
• We of Italian and Syracuse Heritage (WISH)
• Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) - Syracuse
• Peace Action Le Moyne (PALM)
• BlackAtCuse

Endorsing Individuals .

• Danielle Cable
• Andrew Condon
• Sofia Gutierrez
• Faith Taylor
• Gary Weinstein

Image description: A map showing the location of Maple Bay on the north shore of Onondaga Lake. The map was created by Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation (NOON).

Lake Back & Land Back is healing. .

Onondaga Lake is where the Peacemaker came over 1,000 years ago to establish the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, now made up of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora Nations. Onondaga Nation is the firekeeper of the Confederacy.

The return of Maple Bay will help bring balance and healing. Onondaga Nation leaders have expressed the desire to hold ceremonies at Maple Bay.

Through living in proper relationship with the natural world, we will have balance and healing for Earth. Indigenous Peoples have important caretaking responsibilities for lands and waters. Biodiversity is protected when land and water are under the care of Indigenous Nations and Peoples. Land back and lake back are critical to supporting Earth to heal and regenerate.

Onondaga Lake was illegally taken. .

For over 250 years, the land around Onondaga Lake has been illegally claimed by New York State in violation of the Treaty of Canandaigua (1794) which states that all of the city of Syracuse, and much of what is referred to as Onondaga County, are Onondaga Nation territory. Treaties between the U.S. and Nations are legally binding under the U.S. Constitution, as well as international law. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which the U.S. endorsed, affirms the treaty rights of Indigenous Peoples.

March 2025 marked twenty years since Onondaga Nation launched the historic Land Rights Action. The work for land justice has continued on all levels, and the Land Rights Action is being considered in the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, a UN body.

We join together to say: Now is the time for Onondaga County .

to return Maple Bay to the Onondaga Nation! .

Image description: A map showing land loss of Haudenosaunee Nations. Their current territories are shown as small purple territories, spread out across so-called 'New York,' 'Canada,' and 'Wisconsin.' At the bottom of the image it lists the land loss by the numbers: Seneca's original territory was 6.5 million acres; today it is 56,213. Cayuga's original territory was 1.9 million acres; today it is 70 acres. Onondaga's original territory was 2.6 million acres; today it is 7,300 acres. Oneida's original territory was 3.7 million acres, today it is 32 acres + 10,000 reacquired. Mohawk's original territory was 9.9 million acres; today it is 14,640 acres. Tuscarora arrived in this region in 1713 and their current territory is 5,770 acres. *\[Note: Since this image was created thousands of additional acres have been regained by Haudesnoaunee Nations.\]*

If your organization is interested in joining our coalition to support this effort, please fill out this form or email [email protected]