Chapter 6 Conservation Goals and Priorities
and plants found within this land base were intricately tied to cultural identity and the livelihood of the Cherokee people (EBCI 2013) .”
In 1838, the United States government made the Cherokee people leave their homelands. The forced march of the Cherokee to Oklahoma became known as the Trail of Tears. A small group of Cherokee who were allowed to remain in the North Carolina mountains became the Eastern Band of Cherokee. EBCI’s primary lands are known as the Qualla Boundary and are located on 56,000-acres adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Qualla Boundary is not a reservation, but rather a land trust supervised by the US Bureau of Indian Affairs. The EBCI also owns, holds, or maintains additional lands in the vicinity, and as far away as 100 miles from the Qualla Boundary. However, it is acknowledged this represents an extremely diminished land base in comparison to ancestral lands (NCCIA 2025, EBCI 2022) . As a federally recognized tribe, the EBCI is eligible for federal matching grant funds provided through the Tribal and State Wildlife Grant Program (see Chapter 1). Conservation priorities are described in the EBCI Wildlife Action Plan (WAP) (EBCI 2022) , including definitions for cultural and ecological priorities and species-specific management priorities. The NC SWAP incorporates the priorities of the EBCI as documented in its WAP and Legacy documents (see Appendix 3, Reference Document 3-3). Information is available on the Tribe’s website https://www.ebci.gov. Comprehensive planning and implementation efforts to prevent species of greatest conservation need and species of significant cultural importance from becoming endangered are documented in the Tribal Wildlife Action Plan. The EBCI has established conservation targets based on Cherokee government approvals and natural resource codes and laws; Federal laws, regulations, and statutes that are applicable to Native American Trust lands; and guidance from the Cherokee community (elders advisory boards, hunters, Cherokee language). While all animals often possess multiple cultural values and uses, Cherokee Species of Concern (CSC) have primary and secondary cultural or ecological values, are essential, and are designated using specific criteria outlined in the EBCI WAP. Wildlife population and habitat surveys are conducted in support of a comprehensive Tribal Wildlife Management Program on the Qualla Boundary. The goal is to enhance habitat for a variety of wildlife, including migratory birds, Black Bear, Elk, and the native Southern Appalachian Brook Trout. Management and restoration activities are implemented for species of federal concern and of cultural importance to the Cherokee on their lands. Wildlife species of federal concern that occur within the Qualla Boundary include Indiana and Grey Bats and the Carolina Northern Flying Squirrel. The goal of these activities is to protect rare species and to implement habitat improvements identified in recovery plans and avoid high-priority habitat in tribal economic development planning (USFWS 2013) .
6 - 57
2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator