Native American group reclaims land in South Jersey previously owned by ancestors
QUINTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. (CBS) -- A Native American group is reclaiming 63 acres of land in Salem County that once belonged to its ancestors.
The land is tucked away in the woods in Quinton Township, and it's one of the few examples in New Jersey of Native Americans reclaiming their ancestral land.
Ty Gould Jacinto, who runs the Native American Advancement Corporation (NAAC), which now owns the land, said it originally belonged to the Cohanzick Lenape people before the arrival of European settlers.
A South Carolina church eventually came to own the land and placed it for sale last year.
With help from the state, and nonprofits, including the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, Jacinto's organization purchased the 63 acres, returning it to Indigenous ownership.
"People will be able to come and work with this community and learn about the native plants and species that live here," Rob Ferber, who works at the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, said. "The greatest thing about it for me is the sense of peace that comes over me. It's very calming here. It's quiet."
The NAAC plans to turn the former church building into a cultural center and open the surrounding land up to the public as a nature reserve.
It'll be called the Cohanzick Nature Reserve.
John Barry, who works at the NAAC, said they'll use this land's calming nature to teach Indigenous conservation practices and environmental stewardship.
"Just to slow down and that there's a place for you to slow down and hear nature," Barry said.
