The National Park Service (NPS) has issued its first-ever Director’s Order aimed at conducting state-to-state consultations with Native American and Alaska Native tribes, a move aimed at strengthening relationships and ensuring that tribal voices are at the center of federal decision-making about park resources.
The new order codifies existing policies and expands the NPS’s tribal involvement. NPS Director Chuck Sams, the first Native person to lead the agency, said in a news release: “This is one more step we can take to prioritize our relationships with tribes, and ensure that tribal leaders and people they represent have a consistent seat at the table.”
The Director’s Order outlines guidelines for consultation with tribes, including respecting tribal sovereignty, recognizing the importance of indigenous stories, and ensuring that natural resources are viewed as cultural resources. It calls for early and frequent communication with tribes when the NPS is considering actions that could impact tribal lands or resources.
The order is part of a broader shift within the federal government to support tribal self-government and co-management of federal lands. In 2022, the NPS, along with other federal agencies, introduced guidelines to strengthen Indigenous co-management of federal lands and waters.
The NPS has made progress in co-stewardship with Tribes, including 109 formal agreements across the country. For example, in Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park, 16 member tribes now collaborate on storytelling and selling native crafts at historic sites such as Desert View Watchtower. Similarly, Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve has worked with the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes to enhance park displays with native perspectives.
Another milestone occurred at Grand Portage National Monument in Minnesota, where the park celebrated 25 years of co-management with the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, demonstrating the success of long-term land management partnerships.
Since 2021, NPS has spent more than $77 million in support of tribal historic preservation initiatives, along with $10.4 million in grants for the repatriation of Native American cultural artifacts under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). In December 2023, the NPS updated regulations under NAGPRA, strengthening the role of tribes in recovering ancestral remains and sacred objects.
In addition, the NPS has signed 27 new agreements with Tribal Historic Preservation Offices and initiated a study of the Indian Reorganization period, with the goal of broadening understanding of Native history and identifying potential National Historic Landmarks.
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