Selected Examples of IDRS Projects Restoring Forests, Building Tribal Economies and Sustaining Communities
Klamath Tribes: In 1954, the Klamath Tribes were terminated by the federal government. They were stripped of federal recognition status and their entire 1.2 million acre reservation was abolished. The Tribes’ former forest-based economy was one of the strongest in Indian Country and had provided for its members’ financial self-sufficiency. After termination, the community was devastated by pervasive unemployment, substance abuse, suicides and violence within Tribes.
While the Tribes were legally restored in 1987, they did not get back what was most important to their recovery: the return of their land base, the foundation for tribal self reliance. During the past four years, the Klamath Tribes have initiated a comprehensive and ambitious community economic development strategy to finally achieve full restoration of their land, community well-being and their economy.
IDRS facilitated the preparation of a comprehensive 5-10 year strategic action plan for community economic development. The plan calls for reacquiring their land base, resuming their role as active stewards of the landscape, protecting their treaty rights and enhancing their trust resources (e.g., fisheries, water, wildlife, native plants, and cultural resources, on their ancestral lands. It also calls for the development of green jobs and forest related enterprises that can help sustain the Tribes’ involvement in natural resource protection and enhancement.
During the past three years, IDRS has also assisted the Klamath Tribes prepare a business plan to secure a $1 million grant for an option agreement to purchase the Mazama Forest, a 90,000 acre forest that was part of their reservation before termination. IDRS worked with the Tribes to prepare a business plan to obtain an option to purchase a 108 acre former mill site for the Tribes’ new “Giiwas Green Energy Park” which is the site for the Tribes’ proposed new forest related businesses. IDRS continued to work with the Tribes to apply for funds to conduct a pre-feasibility study that determined the viability of a biomass facility. IDRS also assisted the Tribes develop the proposal and secure a $250,000 grant to conduct a thorough feasibility analysis of a biomass conversion facility and to prepare a business plan that is finance ready.
In addition to the biomass facility, IDRS is assisting the Tribes to create green jobs such as forest maintenance and restoration services on federal, state and privately managed forests. IDRS is also working with the Tribes to explore the feasibility of a range of forest related enterprises. These will be designed to transform woody material left on the forest floor after fuels reduction thinning activities into marketable products that create additional green jobs, increase tribal income and thereby add value to forest restoration work. Among those being examined are a wood sort yard, pellets, wood chips, small diameter posts and poles.
With IDRS’ support, the Klamath Tribes secured a $1.4 million grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to design and undertake a two-year training program for 22 tribal members in forest maintenance and restoration. Two crews will be developed to bid for work in the restoration of forests, fisheries, wildlife habitat, riparian corridors, and other activities in the Klamath River Basin. Once the training is completed , the crew members will be able to obtain contracts and create year round employment opportunities for themselves and other tribal members.
Contact: Will Hatcher, Tribal Council Member and Natural Resources Director (541) 738-2219. (will.hatcher@klamathTribes.com) and Tribal Council Member Jeff Mitchell (mohiswags@aol.com). (541) 891-5971.
White Mountain Apache: In 2002, the White Mountain Apache Tribe suffered the devastating impact of a catastrophic wildfire that burned over 250,000 acres of forests on the Fort Apache Reservation before it was contained. This fire had a disastrous impact on the tribal economy which was primarily timber-based. As of October, 2009, there is over 80% unemployment among its members.
It will take decades before the Tribe’s forest comes back. The Tribe’s current challenge is to diversify its economy to be in a position to provide alternative employment opportunities to its members so they can take care of the needs of their families. IDRS has assisted the Tribe to focus on green job creation efforts, forestry enterprise developmentbusiness development, internship opportunities in forestry contracting and administration, and a fee-for-service unit within the Forestry Department.
In 2009, IDRS worked over a six month period with the Tribe and Forest Service to secure approximately $8 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to undertake forest restoration work on tribal and federal forest lands. IDRS is helping the Tribe organize its Forestry Department and develop internal management systems to manage the ARRA grants (and other future grants, contracts and agreements with federal and state agencies) with efficiency and accuracy. IDRS will be working with the Forestry Department on developing training and setting up opportunities for tribal members interested in the green jobs and increased income.
IDRS also assisted the Tribe with a Tribal Forest Protection Act (TFPA) Workshop that is generating a number of projects that will reduce threats to the Tribe’s trust lands and resources. Within the TFPA framework the Tribe will be in a position to initiate restoration contracts that create employment and subcontracting opportunities for many additional tribal members during future years.
One of the projects that came out of the workshop involves 4,000 acres on Forest Service administered lands and is designed to protect 32,000 acres of trust lands. IDRS helped prepare and negotiate TFPA Agreement with the Forest Service and assisted the Tribe to secure ARRA funding for its implementation. which enables the Tribe to identify additional forest and natural resource restoration projects that will prevent soil erosion, wildfires, insect infestation and the invasion of noxious weeds and other non-indigenous plants that reduce the bio-diversity of the forests. IDRS is also working with the Tribe to develop and operate a native plant nursery. Approximately $2 million of one ARRA grant will be used by the Tribe to develop its own nursery that will supply seedlings and other native plants for restoration of tribal and other lands. IDRS is working closely with the Tribe in all aspects of the nursery development to assemble national experts in nursery development, and conduct a financial and market analysis and regional contracting opportunities to grow and market nursery products. . IDRS and the Tribe are working to develop a business plan for the nursery that will consider the development of a biomass conversion facility that will provide clean thermal energy to replace dependence on expensive propane to heat the green houses and nursery facility.
Contact: Victor Velasquez, Tribal Administrator, (928) 521-6808 (cell). (E-mail: vvelasquez@wmat.us
Ramah Chapter of the Navajo Nation: The Ramah Chapter is located two hours west of Albuquerque, NM. Ramah has few prospects for economic development because of the long distance between the reservation and any commercial or retail markets. One of the few opportunities for economic development is forest-based work.
Over the years, consultants and IDRS experts have helped to provide business training and technical support to the Ramah Navajo Natural Resources Department to establish a forestry crew and related wood products enterprises. The Ramah program has now successfully provided year round employment for 10 community members and additional seasonal employment for 10-15 additional residents. The program conducts forestry treatments on more than 2,000 acres annually and has just finalized the Ramah Navajo Chapter’s first forest management plan.
As part of this effort, IDRS assisted the Natural Resources Department to secure a 3 year, $368,000 grant to implement a forestry program on its own forest lands. Funds will be used to develop a market for the the Ramah forest restoration crews’ services among outside agencies such as the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. IDRS is providing training nd assisting the Tribe with the initiation of a TFPA Agreement with both of these agencies.
We are also identifying a series of restoration projects over the next five years that can provide year round employment for the Tribal creOne of the projects involves a market feasibility study and business plan to develop a packaged firewood business that would cater to retail markets in major metropolitan areas in New Mexico (e.g. Albuquerque and Santa Fe).
The Chapter will be working with IDRS and will secure other technical assistance from the federal and state Forest Service to develop a wood fired biomass conversion facility to provide heat to the local school, administrative buildings and the senior housing projects. It is estimated that this could reduce the Tribe’s annual propane bill by about $1 million.
Contact: Michael Henio, Director, Ramah Department of Natural Resources. (505) 775-7120. E-mail: mhenio@ramahnavajo.org.
The Sierra Nevada Forest Project. One area of great concern is the management of National Forests in the Sierra Nevada range in California. There are over 11 million acres of National Forests in this stretch of land between Lassen National Park in the north and Bakersfield in the south.
Over the last one hundred years there has been a significant and steady deterioration in the health of forest lands in this area. These forests have become more prone to catastrophic wild fires, insect infestation and disease, and the invasion of noxious weeds and non-indigenous species. These conditions have compromised the health of fish and wildlife habitat, soils, river banks and other riparian areas. The reduction of healthy tree stands has undermined these forests’ ability to sequester carbon gases from the atmosphere that contribute to global warming. Moreover, these conditions have reduced the biodiversity and resilience of the forests and hence their ability to withstand the impact of dramatic climate changes that loom on the horizon.
Long-term land management plans for the national forests were scheduled for updates under the 2008 planning rule. On August 14, 2009 the Secretary Vilsack of the USDA called for a revision of the National Planning Rule, coming after a California District Court ruling that vacated the 2008 planning rule. The revision of this rule will have a profound effect on the U.S. Forest Service efforts to revise and update the management lans on all the National Forests in the Sierra Nevada. The revised national planning rule will direct how Tribes and non-governmental stakeholders participate in the forest management plans. Moreover, the forest management plans will guide the agency’s decisions for at least seven to ten years, on how these resources of interest to Tribes are managed. This is an excellent opportunity to set priorities and goals designed to restore forest health and bring these Forests in closer alignment with the vision of the new Obama Administration and the vision of Californians who have long decried the dangers inherent in these Forests’ present condition.
There are over thirty Indian tribes that have land near to or adjoining these National Forests. These Tribes have rights and interests that may be affected by management of the national forests such as fisheries. They also that have a longtime relationship to and concern for the wellbeing of their ancestral forests now managed by the Forest Service including the natural resources (water, vegetation, wildlife, fisheries, etc), and cultural resources (sacred sites, medicinal plants, burial grounds and other archeological and historical elements) .
IDRS received a grant to support Indian Tribes in the Sierra Nevada to effectively participate in plan revisions. We will be participating in the planning rule revision and its implementation in the Sierra Nevada national forests land management plans. IDRS is providing formal training and coaching in cross-cultural communications and negotiation skills as well as facilitation services to both Tribes and personnel. During the next year, IDRS will be working with the Tribes that adjoin the Stanislaus and the Eldorado National Forests and throughout the Sierra Nevada. The training and technical services IDRS provides are designed to help all parties bridge the “cross-cultural divide” as well as learn the skills and implement processes that can be instrumental in achieving collaboration and in producing “win/win” agreements. This Project as a whole promises to make a huge contribution to enhance a significant new conservation constituency in California.
Contact: Stephanie Lucero, IDRS Sierra Nevada Coordinator, (916) 505-0177, E-mail: lucero.idrs@gmail.com