He is the editor of Wabanaki Homeland and the New State of Maine (University of Massachusetts Press, 2007). Pawling has been involved in extensive community engagement with the Wabanaki peoples of Maine, and his research has been used by the Passamaquoddy Nation to obtain federal recognition in Canada. He has consulted with tribal leaders, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Maine Humanities Council, and has presented his research in a number of public lectures at historical societies, churches, and high schools.