Native American Communities Prepare to Lead on Environmental Stewardship

As federal agencies move to deregulate the exploitation of public lands, Native American leaders are developing their own plans to continue stewarding and protecting their lands.

Writing in The Conversation, Alyssa Kreikemeier notes that Native Americans were instrumental in the growth of the modern environmental movement. “Native nations regained federally recognized rights and political power at the same time as the national environmental awakening. In fact, tribal nations exercised environmental sovereignty in ways that restored federal recognition and influenced broader U.S. environmental law and policy.”

Noting the long history of Native environmental activism, Kreikemeier outlines how various tribes have taken air quality monitoring and water conservation into their own hands. “Over the decades, Native nations have partnered with federal agencies and used federal laws and funds to manage their environments. They have also built connections between tribes and nations across the continent,” Kreikemeier explains.

However, “Tribal governments have been hit hard by the shifts in federal priorities, including Trump administration funding cuts that have slowed scientific research, such as environmental monitoring and management on tribal lands.”