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The Eastern Region Affirms that --
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All national forests are the ancestral homelands of existing American Indian people;
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American Indian Tribes were the first stewards of these forests and prairies;
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The Tribes are full partners in the conservation of shared landscapes;
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Treaty rights are retained rights, not rights given by the federal government; and
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Our trust responsibilities extend to all Indian Tribes with an interest in these national forests and Forest Service programs.
Vision
The Eastern Region demonstrates the highest standards for support of tribal sovereignty; recognition of indigenous values as shared values; protection of reserved rights and cultural properties; and consultation, collaboration, and partnership in landscape scale conservation.
Mission
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To recognize and respect tribal sovereignty;
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To recognize and fulfill our trust responsibility;
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To respect traditional knowledge and tribal connection to the land;
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To maintain a government-to-government relationship with federally-recognized Tribes; and
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To facilitate effective consultation between Tribes and Agency decision-makers.
Overview
The Eastern Region Tribal Relations Program provides advice, counsel, and training services to the Forest Service workforce to promote a culture of understanding that results in proactive, effective, and meaningful dialogue with Indian Tribes. The program’s principle clients are the Forest Service line officers, decision-makers, and planners. The program’s goal is to provide them with the appropriate context and knowledge to ensure trust responsibilities are recognized and fulfilled and that decisions respond to the current and future needs of Indian Tribes and tribal members.
Scope
Regional efforts are focused on 73 federally-recognized Tribes that have rights and interests in the management of NFS lands and programs within the 20 states of the Eastern Region. Included are 19 “removed” Tribes located outside of the Region, primarily in Kansas and Oklahoma, whose ancestral lands are here in the Eastern Region. The Eastern Region also maintains active relationships with numerous inter-tribal organizations, tribal colleges and universities, American Indian professional associations, and Indian urban centers.
The Eastern Region Tribal Relations Program supports the work of all Agency programs and units to work with Tribes in a government-to-government manner and to engage in formal consultation with Tribes when undertaking the formulation and implementation of policies and programs that may have tribal implications, as defined in Executive Order 13175. The protection of treaty rights and the preservation of appropriate opportunities to exercise those rights on national forests and prairies within the Eastern Region are an integral component of the Region’s Tribal Relations Program. Twelve forests within the Eastern Region are components of lands ceded by Tribes through treaties with the United States. Indian Tribes have asserted reserved treaty rights on more than 7.5 million acres (64%) of NFS land within the Eastern Region.
Sacred Sites
US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack has directed the Forest Service to work with the USDA’s Office of Tribal Relations (OTR) to review existing laws, regulations, and policies and examine their effectiveness in ensuring a consistent level of protection for American Indian and Alaska Native sacred sites located on National Forest System lands. Secretary Vilsack asked the Forest Service to consult with Tribal leaders to determine how the Agency can do a better job addressing sacred site issues while simultaneously balancing pursuit of the Agency’s mission to deliver forest goods and services for current and future generations.
The Secretary has asked the Forest Service and USDA OTR to provide a final report and recommendations for sacred site policy changes and proposed policy language following the conclusion of Tribal consultation.
Sacred Sites Policy Review Update
Thank you for participating in face-to-face and telephonic listening sessions in support of US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and US Forest Service efforts to improve our policies and procedures for protection of Sacred Sites.
The DRAFT Report with recommendations for improved Sacred Site protection is NOW AVAILABLE for consultation or collaborative discussion (click on link at upper right).
We will submit the FINAL Report to Secretary Vilsack in early 2012. Please help us accurately represent the issues and opportunities by providing your comments and recommendations through consultation and collaborative processes.
For more information, to request a hard copy or CD of the draft report, or to arrange a meeting, please email TribalSacredSites@fs.fed.us, or contact Larry Heady, Regional Tribal Relations Specialist, at lheady@fs.fed.us.
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