About Us

INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE + ECOLOGICAL SCIENCE

A responsibility that continues.

NDPonics is a registered 501(c)(3) conservation and landholding organization stewarding more than 1,600 acres across ancestral Yesàh homelands. Our work combines Traditional Indigenous Knowledge, forestry, and Western ecological science.

We are Indigenous-founded and led by enrolled Tribal members. Our relationships with these landscapes strengthen a professional commitment to sound management, healthy ecosystems, and conservation that lasts.

We are an independent nonprofit.

NDPonics works with Tribal Nations and community members, but is not part of a tribal government. Tribal Nations are sovereign and have their own laws, governing institutions, and authorized representatives. NDPonics does not speak on behalf of any sovereign Tribal Nation.

Leadership

Luke Tyree, Managing Director

Lucas Tyree holds a Master of Environmental Science from Yale University’s School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, now the Yale School of the Environment and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Hawai'i at Hilo in Agro-Ecology & Environmental Quality. He was raised and currently resides in the Blue Ridge Mountains and has been a traditional practitioner of forest stewardship and indigenous & regenerative farming since he was a child. His work combines environmental training with practical experience in land acquisition, conservation finance, forest stewardship, and ecological restoration.

A citizen of the Monacan Indian Nation, Luke brings both professional scientific training and extensive knowledge of the landscapes where NDPonics works. In 2024, Yale recognized his environmental leadership with its Prospect Street Award.

Organizational history

2015 · Early energy and environmental work

NDPonics began with work to advance energy sovereignty and address practical environmental needs in Monacan communities. That early attention to energy systems and environmental self-reliance established an enduring concern with the infrastructure needed to support people and land management.

2019 · The growth of land conservation

Land acquisition became a central part of the organization’s work. Early forest protection and agroforestry initiatives connected ownership with restoration, native plant cultivation, and the management of forests for ecological and community benefits. Conservation easements and partnerships helped establish lasting protection.

Read: Seeds, Soil & Culture -- NDPonics (October 2021)

2022 · Research, restoration, and partnerships

Watershed repair, riparian planting, habitat restoration, and field facilities became part of a broader stewardship practice. The Kihkǫspé:hla Living Laboratory, developed with Indigenous East and Washington and Lee University, created a setting for research, environmental education, and community learning on NDPonics land.

Read: A Catalyst for Conservation -- A Unifying Asset (September 2024)

Today · An established conservation portfolio

NDPonics stewards more than 1,600 acres. Current priorities include He Kawiyani Mani, restoration and community planning at Irish Creek, regional connections through Taxka Tapi, and the proposed acquisition of Greyledge. Our focus remains on securing land that matters ecologically and providing the expertise, resources, and continuity needed to care for it.

WORKING TOGETHER

Partnerships

Indigenous East

NDPonics leads land acquisition, conservation, ecological restoration, and property stewardship. Indigenous East leads complementary cultural learning, education, and community partnerships. Together, protected land and practical infrastructure support community-led programming.

Washington and Lee University

Our collaboration supports place-based teaching, research, and interdisciplinary learning at the living laboratory, connecting academic inquiry with environmental conditions, restoration practice, and Indigenous ecological knowledge.

Conservation and technical partners

We work with land stewards, conservation organizations, researchers, hydrologists, botanists, stream specialists, and field crews to assess conditions and develop appropriate stewardship responses. These relationships connect individual projects with wider conservation objectives.

Related cultural and educational work

NDPonics contributes time, infrastructure, and support to related initiatives that support the shared ecological, cultural, historical, language, and community goals of our organization.

Funders & supporters

We are grateful to the organizations whose funding, technical expertise, and collaboration support this work.

The Conservation Alliance

Read: GRANTS 2024 - Oheki Mandukai (Turkey Mountain Project)

Read: SUCCESS STORY 2026 - Protecting a Cultural Forest Corridor

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

Read: Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund Annual Report 2022

Shenandoah Valley Conservation (formerly Valley Conservation Council (VCC))
Virginia Outdoors Foundation
Appalachian Trail Conservancy

Read: WILD East Action Fund: 2025 Recipients - Taxka Tapi

James River Association
Foundation Earth
Mellon Foundation
Open Space Institute
National Wildlife Federation
Saving Nature
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
Washington and Lee University

Read: Kihkǫspé:hla Living Lab

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