NDPonics
By the indigenous. For the world.
ABOUT US
NDPonics is an indigenous-founded-and-led private non-profit foundation in Virginia. We are indigenous, we are for indigenous, and for the world. NDPonics shares the same values as other indigenous people around the world - to protect and enhance the natural habitat we live in, which in turn ensured our survival for tens of thousands of years.
NDPonics is dedicated to purchasing, preserving, and restoring lands in this mountainous region of the Blue Ridge in Virginia, containing areas of spiritual and historic significance to the indigenous people of the hills. Through our partner non-profits, we seek to support indigenous self-reliance and traditional ecological havens through land conservation, cultural rejuvenation, enabling food production, energy self-sufficiency, and energy efficiency in BIPoC communities in Virginia, North Carolina, and Maryland.
NDPonics is a registered 501c3 organization. While the organization itself is managed by enrolled tribal members, and NDPonics supports and has the support of, several tribal nations as well as community members in Virginia, we are not part of a tribal government. Tribal governments are sovereign nations and have their own guiding laws and elected officials. Indigenous-led non-profits like ours, are led by indigenous tribal members, most often have community support, and may even work alongside Tribal Governments toward common community goals, but no one can speak for a sovereign nation except its elected officials, and this is an important distinction to understand.
OUR WORK
We are currently focused on reclaiming, restoring, and protecting the natural habitat of the indigenous people of the hills in Virginia. In 2018-2019 NDPonics achieved conservation easements on ~180 acres of privately held forest parcels in the state. In 2019-2020 we permanently protected 79 acres bordering both the 180 acres and National Forest. In 2021, we extended this protected area by another 57 acres. A 335 acre wildlife corridor connecting Adam's Peak Road-less Area to Coates' Mountain has been established as a result of our work. In 2022, the number of acres protected by NDPonics totals a little less than 1000.
A constellation of organizations has come together in support of our conservation projects. When we acquire land, we often place conservation easements and through partner organizations, we work with BIPoC communities to engage in traditional forest management and permaculture lifeways.
Pictures and videos on this site are taken on NDPonics lands.
REACH US
Our values lie at the intersection of many goals including wildlife corridor expansion, forest preservation, remediation and ecosystem restoration, American Chestnut recovery, tribal sovereignty, cultural rejuvenation, and environmental justice. Traditional indigenous language, culture, knowledge, and lifeway can only be passed down by being expressed and practiced in the environment they were nurtured in. Supporting the preservation of our natural habitat enables us to be ourselves. We protect that which protects us.
We would love to hear from other traditional indigenous groups and allies. Contact us at hello@ndponics.org.
Pilamayaye.