Number: 1977-20
WHEREAS, various Indian tribes are asserting rights to various fish and wildlife resources, as well as rights in and to public and private lands and/or the timber and minerals located thereon; and
WHEREAS, many of the rights asserted are based upon treaties executed between various Indian tribes and the United States Government many years ago when conditions were vastly different; and
WHEREAS, many of the assumptions on which these treaties were based, such as the inexhaustability of certain resources, have proved to be inaccurate; and
WHEREAS, decisions by various courts interpreting various Indian treaty provisions relating to fish and wildlife resources have made the effective management of various fish and wildlife resources virtually impossible; and
WHEREAS, the lack of effective management threatens, in some cases, the continued existence of certain public-owned fish and wildlife resources;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation in annual meeting assembled March 24-27, 1977, in Washington, D.C., hereby recommends that the 95th Congress take immediate action to define Indian hunting and fishing rights, as set out in the treaties; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization urges the Congress to confirm authority of the various states to regulate off-reservation hunting and fishing activities of all Americans — Indians and non-Indians alike, for conservation purposes; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation reiterates its continuing adherence to the principle that just Indian claims should be compensated for by suitable means other than discriminatory allocations of natural resources.