American Indian Law Association's Fight to Return Maple Bay

Earth Rising is proud to support the work of The American Indian Law Alliance (AILA). AILA bases its work in Haudenosaunee traditions, emphasizing indigenous sovereignty, justice and environmental protection. This past year AILA has worked tirelessly on The Return Maple Bay project. This campaign focuses on the sacred waters of Onondaga Lake, a site of deep cultural, historical, and political importance as the birthplace of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Women’s Movement, Western Democracy, and more. AILA aims to hold county officials accountable to treaty commitments, push for land repatriation, and restore the lake’s health for future generations. 

AILA connects local struggles to global advocacy by linking Indigenous sovereignty, environmental justice, and human rights. Through community education, cultural events like the Restore Our Sacred Lake 5K, the Haudenosaunee Wooden Stick Festival, and coalition-building, AILA aims to renew relationships with the lake, foster public accountability, and ensure the long-term survival of both the ecosystem and Indigenous peoples.

In both 2006 and 2011, Onondaga County promised to return a portion of Onondaga Lake, including Maple Bay. However, this has not yet happened. Returning Maple Bay would provide a space for ceremony and grant the Onondaga Nation and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy a seat at the table for conversations surrounding the clean-up of the lake. 

This past year AILA has made meaningful progress on The Return Maple Bay project by advancing both rigorous scholarship through indigenous leaders speaking and presenting about the lake as well as fostering a movement that fights for honoring treaties, protecting water and a balanced and just future. 

Specifically this past year AILA had over 1000 attendees over the two days of the Wooden Stick Festival and Restore Our Sacred Lake 5k in September 2024. Participants walked the shoreline picking up litter and trash. At the treaty talk in November 2024 in New York City, AILA brought together over 100 people to celebrate the return of 1,000 acres to the Onondaga Nation. 

In March 2025 we hosted the first talk in an ongoing speaker series titled “Onondaga Land Rights and Our Common Future: The Quest for Justice.” This marked the launch of the Return Maple Bay campaign to the community and gave supporters the opportunity to write postcards to electeds to show their support for the lake.

In March AILA also published a peer-reviewed article titled "Healing the Sacred: The Fight to Restore Onondaga Lake and Honor Indigenous Land," which places the Onondaga Nation’s struggle within a global framework of Indigenous rights, sovereignty, and environmental justice. This article, along with AILA’s advocacy at forums like the United Nations and the Organization of American States, has positioned Onondaga Lake as a test case for the return of sacred lands.

Sadly, all of this good work has not been without opposition. the Onondaga County Executive has responded by imposing conditions that make it illegal to return the land taken in violation of the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua. But this has discouraged the campaign. AILA along with their partners have written letters, published editorials and built out a campaign with staff organizers and a campaign website at lakeback.org.

Despite push back from elected officials and stalled progress on cleaning up the lake while resources are diverted elsewhere, AILA is also celebrating victories. Bald eagles have returned to the lake. Their presence not only signals the lake’s resilience but also is a reminder that true restoration cannot be postponed.

To learn more about the work AILA is up to and join their fight visit their website here.