Number 2019-08
WHEREAS, federally-recognized tribes have authority to manage wildlife and natural resources on lands within their jurisdiction; and
WHEREAS, tribal lands and waters are significant for wildlife conservation and provide vital habitat for thousands of species of greatest conservation need, including more than 525 federally-listed threatened and endangered plants and animals, many of which are both ecologically and culturally significant to tribes; and
WHEREAS, tribes are important leaders in the protection of these landscapes and their wildlife, providing a model and lessons for other natural resource managers; and
WHEREAS, tribal governments have developed and implemented innovative programs to co-manage fish and wildlife with state and federal agencies; and
WHEREAS, current federal conservation funding for tribes only provides a fraction of what is needed to advance the federal interest in the wildlife species for which tribes are responsible; and
WHEREAS, despite a history of underfunding and exclusion from federal conservation funding, tribes have some of the most accomplished natural resource programs in the nation and protect hundreds upon hundreds of wildlife species and their habitat; and
WHEREAS, for over thirty years, the National Wildlife Federation has supported tribal conservation efforts and was one of the first national conservation organizations to institute a dedicated program to partnering with tribes; and
WHEREAS, the National Wildlife Federation has supported strong leadership by sovereign tribal governments and their fish and wildlife departments and championed efforts to increase and broaden funding for tribes to carry out their conservation activities.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation at its annual meeting assembled June 5-8, 2019 in St. Louis, Missouri, reaffirms our commitment to sustaining strong partnerships with sovereign tribal governments and their fish and wildlife departments; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation supports federal funding that gives tribal fish and wildlife departments the ability to fully and adequately manage the wildlife and natural resources for which they are responsible; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation supports the allocation of wildlife conservation funding to tribes that is fair and proportionate to their wildlife and natural resource management responsibilities; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation recognizes and respects the unique role tribes play in conservation as sovereign governments and that our shared conservation values provide unique and critical opportunities for us to jointly protect fish and wildlife.