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Tribal & Native Lands

Lyle Point, WA Photo by: Bowen Blair

"The Earth is part of my body...I belong to the land out of which I came. The Earth is my mother."

A Nez Perce leader spoke these words in 1877 during the debates to force the Nez Perce onto a reservation, actions that subsequently led to war. He wasn't expressing his opinion, rather he was pointing to a way of life.

Tribes have traditional land-based cultures stretching back over tens of thousands of years. The land and nature's bounties sustained them physically and inspired them spiritually. Unfortunately, in this nation's youth, the hunger for land and resources resulted in a significant loss of a tribal land base. To this day, resource extraction threatens traditional hunting and gathering areas; ancient fishing sites are blocked by urban encroachment; historic and religious sites come under threat of development; and in some instances, Native American graves on private lands go unprotected.

The Trust for Public Land has become a leader in the national conservation community by initiating an effort devoted to working with tribal governments to acquire and protect their ancient homelands.

TPL's Tribal & Native Lands Program was created to expand partnerships with tribes to assist them in reversing a history of dispossession. Tribes are proven leaders as natural resource stewards and restoring traditional lands to tribal ownership--or under public ownership where tribal values are afforded legal protection-assists native communities in meeting their land conservation, natural resource restoration and cultural heritage objectives. Clearly, TPL's mission and the needs of land-based tribal communities are closely aligned.

TPL's Tribal & Native Lands Program is supported by an advisory council comprised of tribal leaders and other Americans committed to the protection and restoration of tribal and native lands and culture.

For more information, contact:
Chuck Sams, Tribal & Native Lands Program Director
(503) 228-6620
806 SW Broadway, Ste. 300
Portland, OR 97205
chuck.sams@tpl.org

Updated 6/2007