Tribes will manage, protect state coastal areas - ICT
By: Gov. Gavin Newsom (ICT)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Five tribes will rely on their traditional knowledge to protect more than 200 miles of coastline in California
- Author: The Associated Press
- Publish date: Oct 12, 2022
Sea lions are shown on the northwest coast of San Miguel Island, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009. The California Ocean Protection Council voted Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022, to provide $3.6 million to support the Tribal Marine Stewards Network, a collaboration between five coastal tribes and state government to protect marine ecosystems. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
Five tribes will rely on their traditional knowledge to protect more than 200 miles of coastline in California
Sophie Austin
Associated Press/Report for America
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Five tribes will reclaim their right to manage coastal land significant to their history under a first-in-the-nation program backed with $3.6 million in state money.
The tribes will rely on their traditional knowledge to protect more than 200 miles of coastline in the state, as climate change and human activity have impacted the vast area.
Some of the tribes' work will include monitoring salmon after the removal of a century-old defunct dam in the redwood forests in the Santa Cruz mountains and testing for toxins in shellfish, while also educating future generations on traditional practices.
The partnership comes three years after Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom apologized for the state's previous violence and mistreatment against Indigenous peoples. Newsom said the state should allow for more co-management of tribes' ancestral lands.
Megan Rocha, who's on the Tribal Marine Stewards Network's leadership council, said these coastal areas hold cultural significance for various tribes, making the partnership monumental.
"It's focused on tribal sovereignty," she said. "So how do we build a network where it provides for collaboration, but again, it allows each tribe to do it in the way that they see fit and respects each tribe's sovereignty."
The network plans to create agreements between tribes and with state government for managing these areas.
Assemblyman James Ramos, D-Highlands, of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, fifth from left, opens a meeting with tribal leaders from around the state, attended by Gov. Gavin Newsom, fourth from left, at the future site of the California Indian Heritage Center in West Sacramento, Calif., Tuesday, June 18, 2019. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Rocha is also the executive director of Resighini Rancheria, a tribe of Yurok people that is part of the network.
She worked with other tribal leaders, members of nonprofit groups and the state's Ocean Protection Council, which coordinates activities of ocean-related state agencies, to develop a pilot program for the network that was years in the making.
Scroll to Continue
In 2020, Ocean Protection Council staff recommended the agency set aside $1 million toward the pilot program to support the network in conducting research, reaching out to tribes and creating plans for the future.
The council voted Thursday to provide an additional $3.6 million which will support the groups in their continued efforts to monitor coastal and ocean resources, offer educational opportunities to tribal members, and pass along cultural knowledge to younger generations.
Taking inspiration from similar partnerships in Australia and Canada, the groups said they hope other networks bloom across the United States.
Leaders plan to expand the network to include more tribes throughout the state, Rocha said. California has 109 federally-recognized tribes, the second-highest number in the country behind Alaska. But there are also many tribes that aren't federally recognized.
Multiple tribal leaders referenced Newsom's public apology in explaining part of why the network's public launch is happening now. In recent years, U.S. officials have committed to collaborating with tribes on managing public lands.
Creating a network of tribes to steward areas with the backing of state government money and nonprofit support breaks new ground in the United States, said Kaitilin Gaffney of the nonprofit Resources Legacy Fund.
"I think we're going to look back in 20 years and be like, 'Oh, we were there. That was where it was started. Look what's happened since,'" she said.
Some tribes in California and around the nation have had their rights to ancestral lands restored under the Land Back movement.
About 60 attendees from nonprofit groups, tribal nations and the Ocean Protection Council gathered in Sacramento to commemorate the network's public launch last week. Leaders thanked experts, advocates, tribal leaders and public officials who made the launch possible.
Valentin Lopez, chair of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, which is part of the network, said climate change has forced governments with a history of exploiting Indigenous lands to acknowledge tribes' deep-rooted knowledge of protecting ecosystems.
"We're in the crisis mode," he said.
Trolling, taunting, spamming, and off-topic comments may be removed at the discretion of group mods. NT members that vote up their own comments, repeat comments or continue to disrupt the conversation risk having all of their comments deleted. Please remember to quote the person(s) to whom you are replying to preserve the continuity of this seed.
Tags
Who is online
436 visitors
This is a good thing. Previously the state is now consulting with tribes on how to manage forests especially when it comes to clearing deadwood and brush with fire.
The Kurok tribes is now the lead in reintroducing the California Condor to CA.
The Klamath River and basin are now partly being managed by Native Tribes.
Bears Ears management is a joint effort to include the local native tribes.
great news
I know that these tribes will do a much better job of management than any government agency would. This is wonderful news and good for everyone and sealife!
I hope like the articles states that this spreads to other tribes in CA and throughout the country.
It would be good for all if it did. There is no downside to this.
I have positive thoughts on this and it will spread to other tribes in Cali and across the country.
This is so outstanding. I could not be happier. It will benefit our coastline tremendously. A huge beacon of hope.
It's great I'm hopping that they can get more tribes involved to cover more of the coast line.
That would be excellent.
This is great news !
Hopefully the Coastal Commission will be in accordance with Tribal management.
I think it would be difficult for the CC to oppose anything that the tribes proposed since they have been managing coastal enviroments for 10,000 years before there was a CC.
I hope so.
The CC has been pretty good over the years except for a massive screw-up when a Condo complex was allowed to be built on the sand at Huntington State Beach. If I remember correctly a couple of people went to jail over that, not CC members. The shit really hit the fan on that one.
These are the 5 tribes that will make up the initial group.
The four founding tribes are the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians of the Stewarts Point Rancheria, the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, the Resighini Rancheria and the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation. The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians will soon join as the fifth tribe.
For me, this is quite an exciting step forward where our knowledge is being sought out by the US instead of the past 500 years of US history where it was ignored and considered not scientific enough.