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Tribal Organizations
Tribal Organizations in Region 5
- Chippewa-Ottawa Resource Authority (CORA)
an intertribal organization, manages and regulates the 1836 treaty fishery for the Bay Mills Indian Community, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, and the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians. - Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan, Inc. a consortium of Michigan's federally recognized tribes, provides a forum for member tribes and advocates for development of programs and policies on improvement of economy, education, and quality of life for Michigan native Americans.
- 1854 Treaty Authority An inter-tribal natural resource agency in northeastern Minnesota that manages the off-reservation hunting, fishing and gathering rights of the Grand Portage and Bois Forte bands of the Lake Superior Chippewa in the territory ceded under the Treaty of 1854.
- Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) An inter-tribal, co-management agency committed to the implementation of off-reservation treaty rights on behalf of its eleven Ojibwe member tribes. Its mission is to help ensure significant, off-reservation harvests while protecting the resources for generations to come.
Select National Tribal Organizations
- National Tribal Caucus (National Tribal Operations Committee site)
The TOC comprises of 19 tribal leaders (the Tribal Caucus) and EPA’s Senior Leadership Team, including the Administrator, the Deputy Administrator, and the Assistant and Regional Administrators. The TOC is cochaired by the EPA Administrator and the Chairperson of the TOC Tribal Caucus. The TOC meets on a regular basis to discuss implementation of the environmental protection programs for which EPA and the tribes share responsibility as coregulators.
- National Tribal Science Council provides a forum for interaction between Tribal and Agency representatives of mutual benefit and responsibility to work collaboratively on environmental scientific issues. Membership in the TSC consists of a single tribal representative from each of the nine EPA Regions with federally recognized tribes, an additional tribal representative designated in Region 10 to represent Alaska Native communities, and a single Agency representative from each Headquarters program office and region. Agency representatives are designated by Assistant Administrators from the EPA program office and regions. Tribal representatives are nominated by their Regional Tribal Operations Committees through the National Tribal Operations Committee.
- National Tribal Water Council is a tribal technical resource and program and policy dialogue and development group. It focuses on protecting the aquatic resources of Indian country by supporting tribal implementation of the requirements of the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act as well as by encouraging tribes to enter into partnerships with other stakeholders and to engage in voluntary water resource protection. The organization provides a recognized means for tribes to provide EPA with input on national water protection policies and initiatives, and assures that the tribal voice will continue to have a strong influence on long term strategies adopted by the Office of Water.
- National Tribal Environmental Council was formed in 1992 and is a membership organization dedicated to working with and assisting tribes in the protection and preservation of reservation environment. NTEC services include environmental technical support, newsletters, updates, federal regulatory and legislative summaries, workshops on specific environmental issues, resource clearinghouse and reference library, and intergovernmental cooperation.
- Indigenous Environmental Network is governed by a national council of indigenous grassroots organizations and individuals. The services provided by the IEN National Office include a national clearinghouse on environmental issues; a resource and referral network for technical information and fact sheets; national/regional/local education on grassroots organizing, training, and strategic development; annual conference planning; and information dissemination on indigenous grassroots environmental groups and tribal government environmental programs.
- National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) was founded in 1944, is the oldest, largest, and most representative national Indian organization, serving more than three quarters of the American Indian and Alaska Native population. NCAI is organized as a representative congress of consensus on national priority issues. NCAI issues and activities include protection of Indian cultural resources and religious freedom, promotion of Indian economic opportunity, and support of environmental protection and natural resources.