Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians Mid-Year Conference

Transcription

1 Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians Mid-Year Conference May 2010 John Vitello Associate Deputy Bureau Director BIA Office of Trust Services Washington, D.C.

2 Topic Medley Climate Change: DOI Policy Coastal Erosion in the Native Village of Shishmaref, Alaska

3 Topic Medley Carbon Sequestration Policy Thoughts

4 Topic Medley Tribal Treasured Landscapes aka Great Outdoors America Big Horn Medicine Wheel

5 Climate Change Let s Not Refer to it as Global Warming Photos by Bodie Shaw

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7 Climate Change Impacts Strong Storms Sea Level Rise Catastrophic Wildfires Habitat Change Floods Drought

8 Model Forecasts of Streamflow Changes

9 Evolution of DOI Climate Policy Three Teams Subcommittee on Science Subcommittee on Law and Policy Subcommittee on Land and Water Three Draft Reports Nothing Finalized Prior to Regime Change

10 DOI Climate Policy Early 2009 Department announces DOI Climate Change Initiative. David Hayes Four-Buckets metaphor 1. Energy Efficiency 2. Biological Sequestration 3. Data Collection and Standardization 4. Adaptive Management Strategies Athabasca Glacier Jasper NP, Canada

11 Indian Affairs Brief to DOI Tribes as Sovereigns Land Managers Climate Change Partners Concept of Environmental Justice Need for Consultation on Climate Policy

12 Secretarial Order on Climate Change S.O Section 5 can be summed up as follows: Disproportionate Affect Trust Responsibility Best Available Science Substantive Participation

13 S.O Other Highlights Climate Change Response Council Recently renamed Energy and Climate Change Council ; Other Specific Activities: Planning Requirements Regional Climate Change Response Centers Landscape Conservation Cooperatives Carbon Storage Project Carbon Footprint Project

14 Climate Science Centers CSCs 8 Regions

15 Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) 21 LCCs

16 North Pacific LCC BIA/Tribal LCC Contribution

17 Indian Tribes and Climate Change What Tribes Need (from USGS & DOI)jjjjjjj Increased access to expertise and scientific research. Increased monitoring of climate change indicators on Reservations. Direct tribal participation in the development and operation of emissions taxation/trading schemes that may be developed. Government-to-government consultation and substantive participation in the development of Departmental policy, objectives, and initiatives regarding climate change.

18 Indian Tribes and Climate Change What Tribes Can Providejjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj Tribal experience with resource stewardship and adaptation spans millennia. Tribes have an accumulation of traditional knowledge and acute sensitivities to their environment. Tribal peoples could be among the first to notice changes to ecological processes caused by climate change. Many Tribes have sophisticated resource mgmt. programs. Some Tribes (e.g. Quinault) have already adopted laws and policies on climate change.

19 Fire Management Integration of Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Western Science Traditional Ecological Knowledge Fundamental land ethic.adaptive management Indigenous legacies of experiential learning Joint Fire Science Program collaboration: Intertribal Timber Council University of Washington BIA and USFS

20 Other Climate Policy Developments Coral Diseases E.O from President Obama 10/8/09 Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy and Economic Performance Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ) Coordination Making federal government operations more sustainable 30% federal fleet petroleum use by % improvement in water efficiency by % recycling and waste diversion by 2015 Sec. 9 Recommendations for Greenhouse Gas Accounting and Reporting

21 GHG Inventories Sec. 9 of EO Policy Decision (Still Draft) Land management emissions and sequestration shall not be reported at this time. Wildfire management and prescribed burning emissions shall not be reported.

22 Other CEQ Climate Activities administration/eop/ceq/initiatives CEQ to work with the Department of the Interior as the lead department to develop a national government-wide strategy to address climate change impacts on fish, wildlife, plants, and associated ecological processes. (FY 2010 Interior Appropriation Report Language) National Fish & Wildlife Climate Adaptation Strategy National Oceans Policy Task Force Develop Framework for Coordination of all Federal Land Management Agencies to Address Climate Change Adaptations Task Force

23 National Fish & Wildlife Climate Adaptation Strategy National Framework - Cooperative Climate Response Collaborate across borders: Feds, Tribes, States, NGOs Landscape Approaches Integrating Climate Science with Social and Political Management Goals of the Resource Sectors Adaptation and Mitigation Efforts Carried our Collaboratively Immediate Planning and Action Necessary Encourage New Partners (Tribes & Intertribal Organizations) Contact: Donna Brewer, USFWS Donna_Brewer@fws.gov (304)

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25 Carbon Sequestration Policy

26 Carbon Sequestration Dilemmas U.S. Policy : Legislation : DOI: Markets: Forests: Tribes: All Voluntary; no Cap & Trade Law Keeps changing No Dept. or Bureau Policy Volatile and Changing Terms More Ecosystem Services than just Carbon; Do we Value? Moving Forward; Wanting Guidance

27 Tribal Carbon Seq. Issues What Authorities govern here? What is Best Market Value? Terms of Agreements? Impacts on Fee into Trust? Trust Funds? Payment Process? Monitoring Issues? Registry; Who Maintains?

28 Carbon Sequestration Evolution Some Tribes begin marketing carbon 2002 BIA attempts carbon policy draft 2005 Ideas on Policy draft authority evolve 2007 DOI SOL Opinion on draft Carbon not a mineral Carbon could be an other forest product 2009 New draft presented at ITC Symposium 2010 Still evolving

29 Current Policy Thoughts? All Tribal Lands 25 CFR Part 84 Encumbrances of Tribal Land Forest Lands Individually owned in Trust 25 CFR Part 163 General Forestry Regulations Ag/Range Lands Individually owned in Trust 25 CFR Part 162 Leases and Permits 25 CFR Part 166 Grazing Permits

30 Or? Do we think outside the box Carbon sequestration agreements as. Tribal Service Contracts?

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32 Tribal Treasured Landscapes (Great Outdoors America) Big Horn Medicine Wheel

33 Great Outdoors America A Presidential Initiative Implemented across several Departments Broad public input will be sought Focus on: Landscape-level conservation (private landowner partnerships) Conservation and management of federal lands Recreation (urban areas included) Initially talked of $2.5 Billion fund from current and future energy revenues on public lands

34 Great Outdoors America (for Tribes) Bear Butte Tribal Treasured Landscapes are those areas of land, in and around tribal homelands, that are vital to the continued cultural well-being and health, safety, and welfare of Indian tribes and Indian people. Indian Affairs will work with tribes and inter-tribal organizations to identify lands that tribes wish to designate as Tribal Treasured Landscapes.

35 Pine Ridge Res. Transforming Indian Country over 25 Years Consolidation of Tribal Land Holdings Acquisitions: Eliminate the Checker-boarding Tribally Managed Cultural Wildlife Areas Preservation of Cultural Resources Acquisitions where feasible Tribal Management of Federal Lands

36 Acquisition Priority Sweet Grass Hills Within Existing Reservations Bring into Trust Within Tribal Treaty/Ancestral Homelands Trust Acquisition where feasible Tribal Management where acquisition not possible Lands Outside Tribal Treaty/Ancestral Homelands Consultation to explore ways to make tribal management feasible

37 Acquisition Priority Cultural Sites Frenchtown Walla Walla, WA The Department, in collaboration with Tribal Nations, will seek to acquire or apply appropriate designations to sacred and other culturally significant sites. These sites will be identified in a way that respects the sensitive nature of Tribal spiritual values.

38 Nanih Wayia, MS Funding Sources The AS-IA Office is in negotiations with the Secretary s Office over identification of funding sources for this initiative.

39 Conclusion Madeline Island, WI Indian tribes should serve as the driving force behind this initiative, and identify lands that they want included as part of the Secretary s Great Outdoors America proposal.

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