Tribal Breakthrough!
Redrafting of Jackson State Forest management plan to include local Tribes
I just got off the phone with Priscilla Hunter and Polly Girvin after reading yesterday’s (Dec. 1) press release (see below) issued by the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians that announces the inclusion of indigenous Native Americans in a redrafting of the Jackson Demonstration State Forest Management Plan. This also means that California tribes’ co-management of JDSF will become a reality. “This could be considered a breakthrough,” said Girvin. “Co-management is now a state declared policy so this co-management is in alignment with California Indian policies.”
On Sept. 25, 2020, Governor Newsom released a Statement of Administration Policy on Native American Ancestral Lands to encourage State entities to seek opportunities to support California tribes’ co-management of and access to natural lands that are within a California tribe’s ancestral land and under the ownership or control of the State of California, and to work cooperatively with California tribes that are interested in acquiring natural lands in excess of State needs. This Policy comes on the heels of the State Lands Commission’s conveyance of 40 acres of state-owned land within the ancestral lands of the Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Tribe to the Tribe for the preservation of tribal cultural resources, and supports actions like the California Natural Resources Agency’s award of Proposition 68 funds for the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County’s acquisition of the 1,199-acre Adler Ranch to protect Native American cultural and natural resources earlier this year. (source: https://www.gov.ca.gov/2020/09/25/on-native-american-day-governor-newsom-takes-action-to-restore-land-promote-equity-for-california-native-communities/)
Priscilla Hunter and Polly Girvin have been tirelessly volunteering for years not only negotiating with the State of California to defend sacred sites and all living things in JDSF, but also networking to build a California Environmental Justice Coalition. This statewide network, combined with an alliance of Northern California Tribes is historic.
Priscilla Hunter said that “ We have been doing this work for years and we need to fund-raise for it takes a lot of time and money to do this.” To support The Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians' efforts to protect the redwoods, oaks and sacred sites located in their ancestral territory in Jackson State Demonstration Forest a GoFundMe campaign has been set up: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-coyote-valley-band-of-pomo-indians
PRESS RELEASE - Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians
RE THE STATE’S DECISION TO AMEND THE CURRENT MANAGEMENT PLAN AT JACKSON DEMONSTRATION STATE FOREST TO PROVIDE FOR TRIBAL ACCESS TO AND CO-MANAGEMENT OF THE JACKSON DEMONSTRATION STATE FOREST
For Immediate Release
December 1, 2021
Contact: Priscilla Hunter- Tribal Historic Preservation Officer of the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians (707) 391-6410
Polly Girvin- pollygirvin@gmail.com
Coyote Valley CA-- The Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians just learned that Thomas Porter, the Director of the State Department of Forestry, at the September Board Meeting of his agency called for the redrafting of the Jackson Demonstration State Forest Management Plan to address Native American cultural resource protection issues, including access to and co-management of the Jackson Demonstration State Forest (JDSF).
The Tribe also confirmed today via phone conversation with Kevin Conway, State Forest Manager, that, at the Nov. 16, 2021 meeting of the Jackson Advisory Group, a subcommittee has been formed to address redrafting the Jackson Demonstration State Forest Management Plan, specifically to address tribal cultural and biologic resource protection concerns and to bring the Management Plan into conformity with current State administration policies
One of the current State administration’s policies is the Statement of Administration Policy Native American Ancestral Lands September 25, 2020, which declares that “in the spirit of truth and healing in recognition of past harms done to California Native American communities, it is the policy of this administration to encourage every State agency, department, board and commission (collectively, “entities”) subject to my executive control to seek opportunities to support California tribes’ co-management of and access to natural lands that are within a California tribe’s ancestral land and under the ownership or control of the State of California, and to work cooperatively with California tribes that are interested in acquiring natural lands in excess of natural lands that are within a California tribe’s ancestral land and under the ownership or control of the State of California, and to work cooperatively with State California tribes that are interested in acquiring natural lands in excess of State needs.”
The following is a link to the September 2021 Board of Forestry meeting in which its Director called for the redrafting of the Management Plan at JDSF to address tribal access to and co-management of JDSF.
We have extracted the following verbatim quote from the Director of the State Board of Forestry at this meeting addressing his call for the redrafting of the JDSF management with the local Tribes whose ancestral territory is now the Jackson Demonstration State Forest
“I am asking the Board and Chair Gillis to consider a review of the Management Plan [at the Jackson Demonstration State Forest]. It is several years old and it is not due for renewal for a few years out but the reason I am asking for a review is that the Newsom Administration and Governor Newsom himself have been very clear to me and my colleagues and agencies as well as departments encouraging us as department and agency heads to seek opportunities to support tribal access to and what is termed co-management. In the context I am talking about is access to and ongoing dialogue to culturally important plants and animals and how these can be managed in conjunction with each other’s desires and needs on the landscape and so this is my primary reason for calling for a review of the management plan.
I believe that the Management Plan is whole and complete and points to all of the issues that were of value and of need at the time. I think that under the current administration and the direction the state is going related to tribal engagement I think it warrants a review at this stage before its regular time for renewal”. [Emphasis supplied].
The Tribe thanks Governor Newsom for advocating for tribal co-management of State lands that are within a California tribe’s ancestral territory and looks forward to ongoing Government to Government consultation with the State to address this matter.
Also, there are current provisions in the California Forest Practice Act (CFPA) and the accompanying regulations on Native American cultural resource protection that fall far short of adequately protecting the Tribe’s ancestral sites while clearly favoring the timber industry. Our mutually agreed upon Agenda for Government to Government consultation with the state includes discussing amendments to the CFPA and its accompanying Timber Harvest Plan regulations as well. The current Timber Harvest Plan process has proven to be a process whereby tribal input is not sufficiently sought and obtained by the Registered Professional Foresters determining the boundaries of the Tribe’s ancestral cultural sites.
The Tribe has therefore reiterated its call for a moratorium on logging at JDSF while these Management Plan amendments are being crafted, “…for we cannot accept the continuing and systematic destruction of ancestral sacred sites and other cultural resources at JDSF while we are at the Government to Government consultation table seeking to protect these resources, said Historic Preservation Officer of the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians, Priscilla Hunter