Tribal Partnerships

Native American tribes are among the Service's most important conservation partners. There are 127 Federally-recognized tribes in Region 8: 107 in California, 19 in Nevada and 1 in the Klamath Basin. As managers of important land and water resources, tribes have a significant role in the conservation of fish and wildlife and their habitats in California, Nevada and the Klamath Basin.

Liaison With Tribes

The Service is proud of our many tribal government-to-government relationships, and of the fish and wildlife conservation that results from these relationships. In Region 8, effective relationship building and liaison with tribes is established first locally, at our field offices in California, Nevada and Klamath Basin. Tribes are encouraged to first contact the nearest Region 8 Fish and Wildlife Office for questions concerning Federal fish and wildlife regulations, tribal consultation issues or partnership opportunities in our region.

Tribal Wildlife Grants

An important component of Tribal Partnerships is the Tribal Wildlife Grant Program (TWG). These grants provide funding to federally-recognized tribes to develop and implement programs for the benefit of wildlife and their habitat, including species of Native American cultural or traditional importance and species that are not hunted or fished. The grants have enabled tribes to develop increased management capacity, improve and enhance relationships with partners including State agencies, address cultural and environmental priorities, and heighten interest of tribal students in fisheries, wildlife and related fields of study. Some grants have been awarded to enhance recovery efforts for threatened and endangered species.

2009 Tribal Wildlife Grant Awards

Eight tribes in California and Nevada will receive $1.26 million in competitive federal grants to undertake a wide variety of conservation projects. .

In California:

Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians. This project will improve spawning and rearing habitat for salmon and steelhead trout by providing shelter, establishing rearing pools, curtailing stream bank erosion, and other enhancement measures on Forsythe Creek. Grant award: $176,071

Karuk Tribe of California. The tribe, along with personnel from the White Sulfur Spring National Fish Hatchery, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and Whitman College will examine the status of freshwater mussels on the Klamath and Salmon Rivers. Grant award: $100,000

Pinoleville Band of PomoÂ Indians. This project will restore riparian habitat for culturally important steelhead and salmon populations through a variety of in-stream management techniques. Grant award: $128,770

Pit River Tribe. Two miles of the Parker Creek will be restored and unrestricted grazing will be eliminated. A riparian function will be enhanced by establishing native plants. Data will be tabulated to balance agricultural operations and a sustainable fishery. Grant award: $172,239

Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. Baseline surveys of habitat and wildlife populations will be made in order to develop and implement a habitat management plan, which will include monitoring, education, and restoration components. Tribal personnel will be trained to manage fish and wildlife resources. Grant award: $83,134

Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians. Projections indicate the Salton Sea will continue to recede. This project will provide wetland habitat on approximately 85 acres of adjacent tribal land and replace invasive salt cedar with native vegetation. Grant award: $200,000

Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians. The Old Woman Mountain Preserve and Learning Landscapes program will provide information about threatened and endangered species, their meaning in tribal tradition, and develop a guide for identification and protection. This project will also evaluate the status of the desert tortoise and provide an analysis of climate change in the eastern Mojave Desert. Grant award: $199,834

In Nevada

Summit Lake Paiute Tribe. The tribe will conserve and enhance the biodiversity of the reservation and surrounding area by completing a noxious weed inventory and treatment, providing education on noxious weeds, and training employees and volunteers. Grant award: $197,867

Region 8 Tribal Grant Program

In the Pacific Southwest Region, the Tribal Wildlife Grant Program is managed through Conservation Partnerships and Tribal Partnerships program. The Region 8 Tribal Grant Coordinator is:

David Wooten
U.S Fish and Wildlife Service
2800 Cottage Way, Suite 2606
Sacramento, CA 95825
(tel.) 916-414-6576

More information about the Tribal Wildlife Grant Program, including how to apply for future grants, is available on the following websites:

Grant Programs for Tribal Governments
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Native American Liaison

Native American Policy

The Native American Policy of he U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service articulates the general principles that guide our government-to-government relationships with Indian Tribes in the conservation of fish and wildlife resources. The conservation values and partnerships that we share with Indian Tribes help the Service to accomplish its mission and fulfill our Federal and Departmental trust responsibilities to Native Americans.

Download the Service's Native American Policy (3.5mb .pdf)
Federally Recognized Tribes in the United States (106kb .pdf)
Federally Recognized Tribes in Region 8 ( 21kb .pdf )
Executive Order 13175: Consultation and Coordination With Indian Tribal Governments (pdf)

Tribes and the Endangered Species Act

The Service and tribes have a common goal of conserving sensitive species (including candidate, proposed, and listed species) and the ecosystems upon which they depend. Tribal lands are not federal public lands or part of the public domain, and are not subject to federal public land laws. These lands are managed in accordance with tribal goals and objectives, within the framework of applicable laws. Many Indian lands have remained untouched by conventional land use practices and therefore are an island of high quality ecosystems, attracting many sensitive species. More information is available from the Service's Endangered Species Program website.

Q&A: What is the Federal Trust Responsibility to Native American Tribes?
Secretarial Order # 3206: American Indian Tribal Rights, Federal Trust Responsibilities and the ESA

The Summer 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin contains success stories about how Native Americans from across the United States are integrating their unique cultural and traditional values with modern biological management principles to make a difference for conservation.

Fisheries and Habitat Conservation

The Fisheries and Habitat Conservation Program strives to fulfill Federal trust responsibilities to Native Americans through several of its programs, including Fish and Wildlife Management Assistance, the National Fish Hatchery System, Alaska Subsistence Management, and the Sikes Act.

Eagle Feathers for Native American Religous Purposes

Federal law provides for the use of eagle feathers for religious purposes by Native Americans. Eagles and eagle feathers are made available to Native Americans through the National Eagle Repository. Tribal members in California and Nevada must first obtain a permit from the Regional Migratory Bird Permit Office. Permits are issued to adult members (18+ years old) of a federally recognized tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community recognized by, and eligible to receive services from, the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Download the permit application here.

More information about obtaining eagle parts and feathers is available on the Service's Law Enforcement website.

Treaties, Executive Orders & Tribal Law

In 1902 the U.S. Senate resolved "that the Committee on Indian Affairs is hereby authorized to have prepared for the use of the Senate a compilation of all treaties laws and Executive orders now in force relating to Indian affairs." The task was given to Charles J. Kappler, clerk to the Committee on Indian Affairs and in 1904, the Government Printing Office published a two-volume set entitled Indian Affairs, Laws and Treaties.

Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties, is an historically significant, seven volume compilation of U.S. treaties, laws and executive orders pertaining to Native American Indian tribes. The volumes cover U.S. Government treaties with Native Americans from 1778-1883 (Volume II) and U.S. laws and executive orders concerning Native Americans from 1871-1970 (Volumes I, III-VII).

The Kappler compilation is available online through the Oklahoma State University Library. Volumes I through VII are available as fully searchable digitized text and as page images. The contents may be accessed from the Table of Contents or Index of each volume or through keyword search.

The National Tribal Justice Resource Center has information on a variety of Indian law topics including tribal constitutions, tribal courts, codes and other issues. The Center's website also maintains a listing of Federally-recognized tribes, contacts, links to tribal websites, tribal constitutions and charters.

Other Resources on the Web

Collaboration in Tribal Conservation (128 pages, 73mb. pdf)
Land conservation tools such as conservation easements and conservancies can be effective techniques for tribes working to access, protect, steward, and acquire lands. This book, published by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in California, and California Association of Resource Conservation Districts, offers definitions of commonly used private conservation tools, and a series of diverse examples showcasing the challenges and successes of their application. Written by Beth Rose Middleton, U.C. Presidentâ€™s Postdoctoral Fellow, U.C. Davis; NRCS Earth Team Volunteer and Reina Rogers, Tribal Liaison, Natural Resources Conservation Service, California. (Note: this large file will require a few minutes to download)

Maps

Tribal & Federal Lands in California .(pdf)
Tribal & Federal Lands in Nevada (.pdf)

Programs & Issues