U.S (NATIVE ORGANIZERS ALLIANCE) : Native are the original conservationists of National parks and public lands.

 

 

 

Dear friend,         Next month, the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes of the Wind River Reservation are holding an inter-Tribal gathering on the Wind River Reservation to mark Yellowstone National Park’s 150th anniversary while elevating the Tribal community’s voice in the conservation and management of Yellowstone and public lands.     In support of this effort, Native Organizers Alliance is partnering with Wes Martel, Senior Wind River Conservation Associate of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition (GYC), in organizing a gathering of 49 Tribes that have ancestral ties to the land for discussions on exercising Treaty rights, shifting federal Indian policy, and Tribal co-management of federal land, water, and wildlife.     Prior to joining GYC, Wes served on the Eastern Shoshone Business Council for twenty years, overseeing Tribal programs and legislation for water, energy, and the environment.        Can you help to support this historic event?       GYC, a conservation group focused on maintaining the Yellowstone ecosystem, recently opened an office on Wind River in Wyoming, which shares an ecosystem with the park. The Wind River team works to strengthen the Tribal influence on conservation efforts in Yellowstone and public lands.      Wes sees the 150th anniversary as an opportunity to both gain recognition of the connection to the land and call for co-governance.        “It’s important that federal agencies know we're all connected to the land. And for them to recognize that if it were not for the removal of Indians, there would be no public lands. For us, this anniversary is nothing to celebrate because we were forcibly removed and killed for the establishment of the park. We should allow for the true history to be told,” explained Wes. “We want to gather the Tribes who have ancestral ties to the land, the National Park Service, Tribal elders, leaders, and Tribal Historic Preservation Officers and hold conversations around access, use, and recognition.       NOA and GYC support the push for co-governance of Yellowstone that would return to traditional ecological practices, establish an Indigenous Board of Advisors for the park, and create a Tribal Interpretive Center at Yellowstone so those Tribes with ancestral affiliation to the park can share the true history of the land with visitors.         Help us build national support for Tribal co-governance of National parks and public lands.       Hawwih (Thank you),           Judith LeBlanc (Caddo) Executive Director.