For Mass Audubon's 125 years of conservation work in Massachusetts, the organization has grown to be the largest private landowner in the state. As such, it is incumbent upon them to take a thoughtful look at what it means to be a modern-day steward of the land. This is especially pertinent as communities across the country observed Indigenous Peoples' Day and reflected on the history of the original people who stewarded the land for thousands of years.

Mass Audubon's wildlife sanctuaries are located on several Indigenous nations' traditional, contemporary, and unceded territories, including the Massachusett, Mahican, Nauset, Nipmuc, Pennacook Pocomtuc, Wabanaki, and Wampanoag. These lands were taken from the Indigenous people, creating a legacy of trauma that persists today.

Mass Audobon acknowledged that Indigenous stewardship of the land kept its ecological communities vibrant, strong and interconnected for thousands of years, but far from being relics of the past, Indigenous peoples, including the 37,000 individuals who currently reside in Massachusetts, are still at the forefront of environmental protection, ecological stewardship, and climate mitigation.

In recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day, Mass Audobon committed itself to take the following actions to support Indigenous rights and to work in partnership with Indigenous communities:

Recognizing that the field of outdoor education is rife with cultural practices appropriated from Indigenous people and often lacking in authentic Indigenous representation, we commit to evaluating all our education, camp, and visitor programs for culturally appropriative practices; removing activities when necessary; and providing context and history to highlight the integral role Indigenous people play in environmental education.
Recognizing the loss of land experienced by Indigenous peoples, we commit to providing greater access to the lands we currently steward by offering free admission to Mass Audubon sanctuaries for all Indigenous peoples in the state.
Knowing that Indigenous voices, experiences, and history have too often been ignored or erased, we commit to performing scholarly research into the pre-colonial history of the lands we currently steward, to share this rich history with the world.

Mass Audobon also committed its organization to address the greatest threats to nature today—habitat loss, inequitable access to nature, and climate change.