Restoring Indigenous Nation access and care will increase forest uses in support of Indigenous lifeways as well as strengthen forest management through the application of Indigenous caretaking. This research is the first step towards assessing the feasibility of an innovative Payment for Ecosystem Services System (PES) or Remuneration of Positive Externalities (RPE) agreement between private landowners and Indigenous Nations for returning Indigenous Nation access and care to the Northern Forest Region of New York (NFRNY) private land. This part of the research will identify factors—incentives, concerns, barriers— that influence private landowners’ willingness to these arrangements. Through literature review, surveys, and focus groups, we will determine the possibilities for exchanging rights and responsibilities (instead of money) aiming to support the sustainable management of forest resources as well as socio-economic co-benefits. Not only will this project test the feasibility of novel approach of applying PES/RPE for restoring Indigenous land relations, but it will also inform the policies necessary to restore these relations in support of Indigenous Nations’ priorities.