Empowerment in an Era of Self-Determination: The Case of the Washoe Tribe and U.S. Forest Service Co-Management Agreement

Abstract

ii Abstract Tribes and the U.S. Government have entered into co-management agreements to accommodate tribal interests in regaining access and reasserting traditional practices on ancestral lands that were lost during colonization. While some Native Americans have continued to fight court battles to regain ancestral lands, others have sought negotiated agreements wherein they serve as the principal managers and caretakers of public resources. One such agreement is between the Washoe Tribe and the U.S. Forest Service in the Lake Tahoe basin. The implementation of the co-management agreement allows not only access to ancestral sites but also the restoration of traditional uses, so it is more reflective of the Tribe’s own needs and culture. The Tribe’s goal is to help preserve its rich cultural heritage and historical relationship with Lake Tahoe, while reintegrating traditional ecological knowledge that evolved with this ecosystem for over 9,000 years. The research provides a multi-dimensional understanding of how the co-management agreement emerged, the negotiation process, and the end result. Further, it explores implementation of the agreement from the tribe’s perspective to better understand what the co-management agreement provides to tribal members that they did not already have and how the Forest Service has changed local forest management and consultation practices with the tribe as a result of the agreement. Finally, this research examines what co-management does not change to better understand its limitations in addressing the needs of tribal communities.