Aerial view of the 245-acre farm. Photo courtesy of Niweskok.
Moore and two other co-leaders of Niweskok: From the Stars to Seeds accepted the 2025 Espy Land Heritage Award from the Maine Coast Heritage Trust in Augusta, Maine, at the end of April.
It is the first time an indigenous organization has received the Espy award, which recognizes those making outstanding contributions to land conservation, according to a press release.
When Niweskok in 2024 secured the 245-acre farm, it took a big step forward in its mission to connect Wabanaki communities to the land and their traditional food systems, medicines, and stewardship of natural resources. The property contains agricultural fields, mature forests, wetlands, ponds, and access to the Goose River.
“We’ve already been doing this work across disparate locations for years—reinvigorating our traditional crops and land management strategies, hosting workshops, and distributing traditional foods,” said Moore. “Now, with this land, we have permanency of place—and the ability to continue this work for generations to come.”
Besides offering intergenerational programming, the land will support seed saving, wild harvesting, and the cultivation of traditional crops.
“Niweskok's efforts to reclaim land and restore the Penobscot Bay region as a Wabanaki food hub are an inspiring example of how land conservation in Maine is evolving," said Angela Twitchell, Maine Coast Heritage Trust's senior director of partnerships and public policy.
“Their work embodies resilience and a deep commitment to healing and nourishing both the land and the community,” she added.
Niweskok in the Penobscot language translates to “dried seeds for planting” as well as “essence of life” and “spirit,” the organization writes on its website about its vision.
“Wabanaki cosmologies embed us in broad kinship networks which illuminate our interconnections, extending from the stars to seeds. Collectively, we dreamt Niweskok into existence, and with this has come clarity on pαkatəkkʷéwehla, our echo, our impact into the future that we have a responsibility to nurture.”
