Yurok Tribe

A Return to Tradition – Ancestral Practices Informing Contemporary Regulation to Recover Wildlife Populations
 

How did the project come about – how was it determined?

As is the case with all Native American tribes, our homeland and wildlife were deeply impacted by the American westward push for resource acquisition, suffering our deepest impacts after the California gold rush of the mid-1800s. A series of interviews with tribal members and elders indicated that one such impact was a decrease in traditionally important species on the Yurok Reservation over recent generations. To assess tribal opinion on specific causes of declines, and potential solutions to reverse this trend, the Yurok Tribe Wildlife Program distributed a tribal member survey, and conducted community member outreach meetings. Results indicated that while a majority of tribal respondents agree that poor, non-traditional, habitat management is a primary cause of wildlife population declines, an equal number agree that overhunting has contributed significantly as well.  When queried, 69% of respondents agreed that harvest management in the form of an ordinance for the Yurok Reservation would help to improve populations of species of concern, with the majority of respondents indicating that deer, elk, bear, mountain lions, and waterfowl were species of particular concern, for various cultural and ecological reasons.

Respondents also strongly indicated a need for education in traditional practices and ethics to supplement an ordinance, and ensure its long lasting effects. It was generally agreed that part of the impact of new settlers was the introduction of new, non-sustainable hunting practices and loss of respect by some for the environment and community needs.  It was deemed important that traditional wildlife management continue to play a vital role. Ethics of particular concern to the tribal membership and elders revolved around respect, including respect for wildlife, respect of long-term effects on wildlife populations, respect for personal property, and respect in terms of the mechanism of take. It also includes respect for traditional relationships with wildlife, and for the spiritual component of management.

From these two ideas was born our current two-year project “A Return to Tradition: Ancestral Practices Informing Contemporary Regulation to Recover Wildlife Populations,” to create a new Yurok wildlife ordinance based on traditional ethics which will apply to the Yurok Reservation and lands.

Who was instrumental in the development of the project and who are the key staff members?

With guidance from the community input sessions, this project is being primarily headed by the Yurok Tribe Wildlife Program. Tiana Williams-Claussen, a tribal member and wildlife biologist, is in charge of drafting the ordinance, coordinating community and department input, and coordinating with tribal members to draft traditional ethic educational components. Kent Barnes, another wildlife biologist for the Tribe, is heading ecological outreach, particularly as it relates to a component of the ordinance prohibiting the use of lead ammunition which contaminates the environment and tribal food resources.  Chris West, as senior wildlife biologist, provides oversight of the project, and is helping plan the pilot deer population study. This project is also moving forward with support from the Yurok Culture Committee, a panel of tribal elders who contribute cultural knowledge to tribal government action; the Natural Resource Committee, a panel of tribal community members who provide guidance on natural resource needs; the Yurok Office of Tribal Attorney; the Yurok Tribal Court; the Yurok Public Safety Department, and the Yurok Public Relations Manager, and will culminate with a community review of the ordinance.

How did you address the “synthesis” of ideas?

Several tribal individuals have volunteered to serve as community liaisons to help integrate the new ordinance more smoothly. Outreach regarding the environmental and health threat from use of lead ammunition has positively impacted hundreds of tribal members, and provided them with information regarding non-lead alternatives, as well as a box of non-lead ammunition of their own for use on their next hunting trip. Work with the Culture Committee has inspired ideas about future projects to help make traditional law a guiding principle for wildlife management.

Where is the project located, what Tribes/service are do you serve?

The Yurok Tribe is the largest federally recognized tribe in California, located in the far northwest of the state, close to the Oregon border.

What are the main project objectives/ goals of your project?

Through this project, the Yurok Tribe will (1) create a new, traditionally-based ordinance; (2) create a licensing process that trains new hunters in traditional Yurok ethics; (3) train Yurok Public Safety officers in the ordinance to help them effectively enforce it, and to serve as outreach partners to the community; and (4) develop a pilot deer population study on the Yurok Reservation, as a way of gauging the success of the ordinance over time.

How has the project benefited the community overall?

Work with the Culture Committee has inspired ideas about future projects to help make traditional law a guiding principle for wildlife management. The Wildlife Program has had the opportunity to engage with a variety of Yurok culture bearers to inform educational outreach, and is honored to be a contributing author to a Yurok Ph.D. student’s dissertation chapter on wildlife-related Traditional Ecological Knowledge. Her dissertation is designed to help inform governmental-level wildlife management in regards to traditional worldviews and has synergistically informed the project’s educational component.

What are your future plans to continue your efforts?

The Wildlife Program is learning new techniques related to population studies through genetic identification of individual deer. These new techniques will continue to inform the Yurok Tribe on deer populations, but can also be used on other populations of concern, like elk and black bear. Overall, the ordinance and Yurok hunter education program will allow for a long term solution for managing wildlife populations, and will serve to introduce new tribal hunters to traditional ethics, promoting a generational change in hunting practices on the Yurok Reservation. Basing it on tradition ties the modern management tool to ancestral practices, creating a truly Yurok endeavor.

What advice would you offer to someone planning or implementing a project similar to yours?

The best advice that this project can give to similar projects is to make sure that their work is a unique tribal initiative. While input from other organizations experienced in wildlife management is a great start, in order for regulation like this to be truly effective, it needs to fulfill the heart and needs of the people. That heart cannot be replicated, and only comes from engaging deeply with those who will be most impacted by positive change. Allowing time for in depth community involvement at all stages is invaluable.

Lower Elwha Tribe Community Council
Examining mortality patterns and population demographics of Columbian black-tailed deer to improve the regulatory ability of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe

How did your project come about – how was it determined?   Columbian black-tailed deer are icons of the Pacific Northwest and are culturally and spiritually important to the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe (LEKT) on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula.  Deer have provided sustenance to tribal members for generations and continue to be one of the most important food resources for contemporary tribal members.  Black-tailed deer populations on the Olympic Peninsula, however, appeared to be in decline.  Because of the potential decline of this important wildlife resource, the LEKT Hunting Committee and Tribal Council asked that research be conducted into the status of the population, specifically to examine causes and rates of mortality.

Who was instrumental in the development of the project?  Wildlife biologists, the Hunting Committee, the Tribal Council, and tribal community members

How did you address the “synthesis” of ideas?  I communicated with other biologists in the area, as well as the scientific literature, to develop project goals, objectives, and to study methodology.  I also communicated with the Tribe’s Hunting Committee to learn what type of information they felt was important to learn.  Finally, since project implementation, we have informed the community of the project through newsletter articles and presentations at community council meetings.

Who are the key project staff members?  Kim Sager-Fradkin (wildlife program manager), Dave Manson (project biologist), Rebecca Paradis (project biologist), Cameron Macias (wildlife technician and tribal member), Mike Sheldon (wildlife technician and Alaska Native), and Kevin Kaufman (wildlife technician).

Where is the project located - what Tribes/service area do you serve?  Washington’s north Olympic Peninsula.  The project directly serves the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, but also indirectly serves the Makah Tribe, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, and Port Gamble Tribe, as well as the people of Washington State.

What are your main project objectives/ goals of your project?  The goal of our study is to collect information on population demographics, home range and resource use, and mortality sources of black-tailed deer, fawns and bucks, on the Pysht GMU in light of apparent population declines and the presence of Hair Loss Syndrome (caused by non-native lice) in the population.  Collection of this data will allow the LEKT, other area tribes, and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to better manage the harvest of this important species through biology-based regulations.  Further, this data will contribute to the achievement of a primary tribal goal: to monitor and subsequently manage game animals to the benefit of tribal members for subsistence and ceremonial purposes, and to ensure that these populations will subsist for future generations.

We have several specific project objectives that will help us meet our goal of gathering baseline information on population demographics and mortality factors so that we may respond to potential population declines and track population change over time.

Objective 1:  Conduct ground and aerial-based surveys of deer throughout the Pysht GMU during fall and spring of each project year (n=6 surveys).
During these surveys we will:

• Record information on the prevalence of HLS in does and fawns.
• Record information about population composition (doe:fawn, doe:buck ratios).
• Collect information on overwinter survival of deer, particularly fawns.

Objective 2:  Monitor radio-tagged fawns and bucks to document rates and sources of mortality as well as home range and resource use information across the study area.  We will deploy radio-tracking devices on both fawns (up to 20/year for the first two years) and bucks (up to 10/year for the first two years).  These tracking devices will allow us to look at mortality rates, home range, and resource use across all months of the study.  Because we expect that it will take two years of capture effort to meet our sample size objectives, and another year to monitor survival, we feel that a 3-year project is imperative.  We will share data throughout the course of the project as follows:

• Share information collected from radio-tagged animals during annual state-tribal and inter-tribal technical meetings while providing data and technical advice on how policy decisions might affect wildlife populations.
• Coordinate with WDFW and other tribes in developing hunting regulations consistent with the goal of providing harvest opportunities for future generations.
• Conduct semiannual presentations to the tribal community.

How has your project benefited the community overall?  We have trained 2 tribal members in wildlife research and monitoring techniques.  We have educated the tribal community about deer biology and research.  We have engaged with several groups of youth to teach them about wildlife techniques and compelled the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to curtail their harvest of deer does on our study area in response to our research (high fawn mortality).

What are the future plans to continue your efforts?  We are in the third year of our project, and will capture one more cohort of fawns this year.  We will track those fawns for the next 1-2 years, and will continue to conduct annual spotlight surveys to monitor the population.  We have also made a presentation to Tribal Council in hopes of seeking base funding to keep our monitoring program viable for the next several years.  Finally, we will compile our data for inclusion in a tribal Wildlife Management Plan.

What advice would you offer to someone planning or implementing a project similar to yours?  Talk to researchers elsewhere in your region to learn which techniques work best.  You can always give us a call, too!

Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s Comprehensive Water Resource Plan

Project Overview:
Between 2011 and 2015, the Citizen Potawatomi Nation conducted a comprehensive water resource assessment. Prior to the project, the Tribe had very limited information about the water resources within their 900 square mile jurisdictional borders, and could not make informed economic and environmental decisions.

During the grant, the tribe contracted with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct and produce an in-depth, technical analysis of the ground and surface water within the area. As one of the first steps of the project, the USGS compiled an initial literature review that summarized the available hydrological and climatological data. Then the project collected samples at 30 wells, which included drilling 10 new wells, to measure the quantity of ground water. Additionally, the project collected surface water data by installing in-stream gauges to assess water quality and pollution.  Concurrently, the USGS conducted an extensive gap analysis of resource needs in the tribal boundaries. Through data collection and ongoing testing, the USGS created a predictive, 50 year model of future water resources. The project also held three public meetings to inform tribal members, answer questions, and seek input about the water resources. Additionally, the project built tribal capacity to continue testing the 30 wells and in-stream gauges after the completion of the project.

Project Outcomes and Impact

Through their ANA funding, the Tribe developed a cohesive and comprehensive water resource plan. The studies and water plan were used to inform the tribal environmental department in new regulatory administration. For example, the reports helped tribal policymakers determine which Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) programs they would use their authority to manage on tribal lands.  Moreover, the project helped to determine which proposed surface water projects could use EPA 319 non-point source funding to clean up pollution. Additionally, the project also improved the health and human safety of the surrounding communities through sharing information on unsafe levels of pollution in local well water. This information was shared with the Oklahoma Environmental Health Department and commercial well drillers.

Through this project, the tribe has increased its ability to plan future economic development. The tribe now knows it cannot significantly develop one zone of the reservation because of limited water resources.  Moreover, the project confirmed that the Iron Horse Industrial Park can be economically developed.

Prior to the funding, there was concern about the water resources since the region was going through a significant drought. Now, the Tribe has a better understanding of the water resources for the next 50 years. Looking forward, the tribe plans to develop a risk mitigation and drought management plan. The tribe will use this project to inform its economic development and environmental regulations over the next several decades.

Key Results

• 8 Scientific and economic water resource studies developed
• 2,000 page digital Hydrological Atlas created
• 50 year model of CNP water resources
• 1 Comprehensive Water Resources Plan created
• Grant duration: 3 years - $893.949

Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians’
Department of Natural Resources’ Regulatory Project

Project Overview

Between 2012 and 2015, the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians’ Department of Natural Resources (DNR) improved their capacity to manage their own land through regulatory development, GPS mapping, and staff expansion.  Prior to the project, the tribe did not have dedicated personnel to oversee hunting and fishing, culturally specific natural resources codes, or easily accessible information about reservation lands.

Through the grant, the project focused on four interrelated activities that internally enhance the capacity of the DNR to manage tribal land and natural resources.  First, the DNR hired contractors to identify, survey, and demark all tribal lands in Michigan and Indiana. Through this process, the Tribe developed an electronic mapping database for geographic boundaries.  Second, the DNR established a new field office in Indiana. The grant funding allowed the tribe to update the existing building with improved roofing, windows, and decking to create an outpost for teaching children, host hunter safety courses, and manage resources in Indiana.

Additionally, the DNR hired and trained their first conservation officer to help develop, monitor, and enforce new environmental laws and regulations.  Finally, the project worked extensively with the DNR, legal department, police lieutenant, and conservation officer to develop a code to govern hunting, fishing, and gathering. The project surveyed citizens, tabulated results, and incorporated the comments into a draft code for the Tribal Council. Throughout the grant, the conservation officer and DNR provided public education to tribal members and non-members about the new codes, new tribal hunting and fishing licenses, new enforcement and penalty rules, and new maps of the tribal lands.

Project Outcomes and Impact

By the end of the project, the DNR had greatly increased their capacity to enforce the new hunting, fishing, and gathering laws. Due to the new laws and staffing enforcement, the DNR has logged more than 550 incidents or infractions of trespassing, property inspections, hunting license verifications, and conservation and hunting violations.  Moreover, illegal logging on tribal land has stopped since the conservation officer was hired.  Project staff report that trespassing on tribal land has also declined.

Overall, the project has increased understanding of illegal activities among community members, increased accountability for safety, and created an avenue of communication between the tribe and the people.  Additionally, this project has increased environmental protection of culturally important species such as the black ash, cedar boughs, and turtle trapping through sharing data across tribal departments and clarifying responsibility.  Finally, the establishment of the codes and conservation officer coupled with the maps of exact tribal lands has provided clarity for the tribe and members, and allowed the tribe to exert their sovereignty over land and
resource management.  Looking forward, the Tribe plans on hiring a second conservation officer to strengthen and continue the environmental protection and enforcement efforts.

Key Results

• Environmental Code Developed
• Conservation Officer Hired to Enforce Codes
• Environmental Outpost Established
• Grant duration: 3 years - $330,973

Ariel Richer
Impact Evaluator, (Tribal Tech, LLC) supporting the Administration for Native Americans (ANA)
 

Can you tell us about your background and what lead you to work for ANA?
I recently completed my Master of Social Work with a focus on Social Enterprise Administration from Columbia University.  I have spent the past three years focusing on qualitative and quantitative social research and evaluation. I have a broad range of experience working with those affected by substance abuse, mental health disparities, domestic violence, and sexual assault. I'm a bit of a nerd, so I enjoy numbers, data analysis, and most importantly sharing that data with everyone so they too can build an appreciation for numbers and make them work for their benefit. I am very excited to bring my data driven mindset and social work lens to my work at ANA, and most importantly to empower the Native community.

I know you just started with ANA, but what do you enjoy most about your job thus far?
In my first week at ANA, it is evident how passionate everyone is about their work here. I'm very excited to learn and contribute to an amazing team who is clearly making a difference!

What are some of your interests or hobbies?  What do you most like to do in your free time?
I have always had a love for music and performance arts and have played the violin and piano for the past 20 years. I love staying active, so as a (former) Contemporary and Ballet dancer, I'll probably be exploring the city through dance and yoga classes. Coming from the Pacific Northwest, I enjoy spending most of my time outdoors, usually on a longboard, surfboard, or snowboard!

Jeaninne Bruguier
Program Specialist, (Tribal Tech, LLC) supporting the Administration for Native Americans (ANA)
 

Can you tell us about your background and what lead you to work for ANA?
My career has always been in working with Native people in some capacity, from working as a Secretary for the Fish & Game Department (later the Lac du Flambeau Natural Resources Department), to working as the Tribal Administrator for the Lac du Flambeau tribe until obtaining the position as Program Specialist with Tribal Tech, working with ANA.

I have done a multitude of things with youth, from the Vision Seekers youth group with In-Care Network in Billings, Montana to working with the Lakeland Union High School in Minocqua, Wisconsin as the Indian Education Mentor.

I have also worked with Upward Bound (a TRIO Program), Juvenile Probation and Parole (Billings, MT) and the Lac du Flambeau Education Department with pre-school to higher education.

Working for tribes can sometimes be problematic, especially if you are employed with your own tribe. I wanted to still work with Native nations so I looked for organizations that where working at the national level and found Tribal Tech, LLC. This led to my appointment with ANA.

I know you just started with ANA, but what do you enjoy most about your job thus far?
As short a time as I have been here, what I have enjoyed most about my position is the genuine warm of the people that work here. They have made me feel welcome and encourage questions. Thank you all very much.

What are some of your interests or hobbies?  What do you most like to do in your free time?
I enjoy spending my free time with my children. Since they are still in Montana, I have been trying to fill my time, but I must say transitioning to Virginia and working in Washington D.C. has been adventure enough for the time being. I would like to explore pottery making. It has been one of my interests that I have yet to delve into in any depth.

Sharon Jackson
Project Consultant, (Tribal Tech, LLC) support the Administration for Native Americans (ANA)
 

Can you tell us about your background and what lead you to work for ANA?
Prior to ANA I worked at the University of New Mexico Gallup. I was the grants coordinator for the university. I assisted with grants and contracts for the university. I’ve worked with the Navajo Nation Women’s Commission and Navajo Government Development Commission.

I know you just started with ANA, but what do you enjoy most about your job thus far?
I love that ANA is making a difference in the lives of individuals who live in tribal communities. The programs offered through ANA enrich the lives of tribal communities across the US. I am very excited to be a part of this effort.

What are some of your interests or hobbies? What do you most like to do in your free time?
I enjoy taking portraits. I have my own website.  I consider my photography skills "a work in progress." With my free time I'd like to take advantage of my location and travel--explore.

Homeland: Four Portraits of Native Action (2005)

The following review was made possible by the generosity of the National Museum of the American Indian who kindly loaned their copy of Homeland to the Administration for Native Americans.

Homeland: Four Portraits of Native Action is a powerful documentary that illustrates the pervasive threat of environmental degradation on American Indian and Alaska Native lands.  In just under an hour, viewers visit four different regions of the US and learn about the uphill battle Native communities face to protect their territories.  The dangers addressed include contaminating water sources, drying up agricultural lands, and destroying vital parts of local ecosystems.  Despite the strength of the industries they combat and the, “dismantling of thirty years of environmental law,” the message offered by the tribal leaders in this documentary is one of hope.

The beauty of this documentary is its ability to emphasize the Native belief in the interconnectivity of all things.  We initially see how each tribe is connected to their homeland.  For the Penobscot of Maine the river and the fish within it are a large part of their identity.  Without the fish they would lose who they are.  The Gwich’in of Alaska share a similar bond with the Porcupine herd of Caribou whose migrations have controlled their calendar for thousands of years.  For the Northern Cheyenne the connection is to the very earth on which they live and have fought to remain.  The land is their history and ties them to their ancestors even as the coal industry seeks to drain it of all its nutrients and natural gas.  The Eastern Navajo face similar problems as a return to uranium mining in the area threatens their only water supply.

While the people on screen and their tribal members are the ones facing the direct threat, viewers cannot help but realize the danger is also to them.  The environmental issues seen on reservations are part of larger industry practices that harm communities of all sorts, sizes, and colors.  The effects are simply easier to note in the smaller Native populations of these towns and tribes.  From cancer and rashes that never quite go away to unarable land and permanent water pollution, this film warns of what is to come if all Americans do not work to protect the environment.  One Penobscot explained that Natives are like, “…the canary in the coal mine.”

Yet, even as they work to prevent industry from expanding into their lands or destroying their resources, tribes remember that all are connected.  Their resolution is to promote better means of harvesting resources or finding alternative products for the energy and paper sectors to focus on.  All of this highlights the importance of the work these tribes are doing and that others should learn from their example.  By working together to protect the world in which we live, we not only assure our continued existence but the preservation of those things that make us who we are.

The deadline for health coverage is near for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders.  Visit the Health Care (ACA) site to get covered.

American Indians and Alaskan Natives can use the Native One Stop portal for information on all federal services.

Consider applying for one of ANA’s new funding opportunities: The Native Youth Initiative for Leadership, Empowerment, and Development (I-LEAD) and Native Language Community Coordination Demonstration project (NLCC) .