HIGHLIGHTS
Agencies also described the variety of ways they are facilitating partnerships with Tribes and NHOs for the protection of historic properties. While many reported projects were in their early stages, some agencies with longstanding partnerships provided examples of the mechanisms and best practices they have used to maintain these partnerships for the benefit of historic properties. These can include cooperative agreements, as described by DoD, who can enter into such agreements under 10 USC 2684, Cooperative Agreements for Management of Cultural Resources, which authorizes for the preservation, management, maintenance, and improvement of cultural resources conduct of research regarding cultural resources. Co-stewardship or co-management agreements establish ways for agencies and Tribes to collaborate and inform on the management of lands in federal ownership, assisting federal agencies in the completion of their mission-critical work. A Case Study on page 72 details the various co-stewardship agreements developed between the USFS and Tribes.
» USFS reported on their recognition of the importance of cultural burning to moderate wildfire intensity and reduce community risks, and some National Forests are incorporating Indigenous Knowledge in their prescribed fire methods. » In May 2023, Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH) signed an MOU with a consortium of NHOs from Windward O’ahu. The MOU called for MCBH personnel to work with community representatives to develop ways to assist in active management of both cultural and natural resources in MCBH’s Nu’upia Fishponds. MCBH and community members have participated in volunteer workdays to remove invasive vegetation from highly overgrown areas in the ponds. Plans are underway for clearing fishpond walls of vegetation to assess condition and develop ways to stabilize walls to prevent or slow degradation. » As part of the Department of the Navy’s modernization of the Fallon Range Training Complex (FRTC) in Nevada, the agency worked with local Tribes to identify measures to minimize impacts and incorporate Tribal engagement and Indigenous Knowledge into project planning and implementation. Tribal engagement included the establishment of an Intergovernmental Executive Committee to exchange views, information, and recommendations relating to the management of the natural and cultural resources of the FRTC, development of a managed access plan to provide continued access to areas of religious and cultural significance to Tribal members, engagement with Tribes to update and implement the Naval Air Station Fallon Integrated Cultural Resources Management Plan, completion of an ethnographic study, and Tribal representation in all cultural resources surveys of the expanded testing ranges. » TVA established a partnership with Tribes utilizing Indigenous Knowledge and Tribal expertise to facilitate plant harvesting and gathering opportunities on TVA land. In 2023, TVA partnered with the United Keetoowah Band, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), and Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency to plant 100 river cane plants near Halfway Town to be available for future harvesting. TVA also worked with EBCI to identify plants that will be installed in a native plant garden at the Native American Removal Park visitor center in Birchwood, Tennessee. The Cherokee Removal Park is located at Blythe Ferry in Meigs County, Tennessee, where thousands of Cherokee, Creek, and Seminole People were forced to cross the Tennessee River and leave their ancestral homelands. This park memorializes and remembers this forced removal known by many as the Trail of Tears. TVA plans to install educational signage with plant names in native languages as well as other relevant information determined appropriate by Tribes. » In 2022, the USFWS’s Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia was recognized for efforts not only to preserve an important archaeological site on the Refuge but also for its co-stewardship efforts with the Rappahannock Tribe.
The Nu’upia ponds wildlife management area on MCBH provides refuge for wildlife and allows accessibility to archaeological sites in the area that hold significance for Native Hawaiians. (J. Pantaleo/NAVFAC Hawaii)
70
IN A SPIRIT OF STEWARDSHIP: A Report on Federal Historic Properties • 2024 | 71
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker