Hunton Andrews Kurth Assists Chickahominy Tribe in Key Virginia Land Acquisition to Preserve Culture and Heritage

Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP assisted the Chickahominy Tribe in acquiring 105 acres of land along the James River in Charles City County, Virginia.

The deal returns tribal lands to the Chickahominy after several centuries and will provide a place to celebrate tribal culture and heritage. It also will protect the significant environmental resources associated with the property, known as Chickahominy on the Powhatan.

Led by partner Dan Campbell, the Hunton Andrews Kurth team worked with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Virginia Outdoors Foundation on the transaction, which included the implementation of open space and conservation easements on the property to ensure its continued use in such a way as to best support its environmental, historical and recreational attributes.

The team, which also included Sarah Reyes, Allyson Moore, and A.J. Carroll, spent more than 650 pro bono hours navigating the deal for the land, located upriver from historic Jamestown Island.

“Our Commonwealth is full of cultural and historical sites, and we must make every effort to protect and preserve their heritage, especially those that belong to or celebrate underrepresented communities,” Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said in a June 28 news release announcing the acquisition. “Returning land to the Chickahominy is an important step towards honoring their tribal history in Virginia and ensuring they have a place to continue sacred traditions.”