Land Co-management Agreements Now Online

BOULDER, Colo. [Feb. 27, 2024] — Sovereign-to-Sovereign (S2S) Cooperative Agreements, is a new, free online resource at the University of Washington Law Library. It houses co-management and co-stewardship agreements by which Tribal Nations and U.S. government agencies are forging new ways to collaboratively care for the land. The concept of “co-stewardship” is novel, and a consolidated repository of information was needed to help agencies and Tribes determine how best to use them, if at all.  

Collecting the types of agreements and their authorizing authorities into one easy-to-use repository allows for quicker understanding of the potential they hold to address land use conundrums like managing wildfire, improving wildlife habitat, and supporting sustainable hunting and gathering. The agreements shared have allowed Tribes and agencies to co-steward federal public lands and further nation-to-nation relationships. When used well, co-management agreements have the potential to protect treaty rights and ensure Native American peoples’ access to important religious, subsistence, and cultural interests while providing agencies with needed tribal expertise and Indigenous knowledge. 

Some criticize efforts to co-steward or co-manage because they have not consistently created truly equal relationships. After outreach to tribal representatives and agencies, the concept of “Sovereign-to-Sovereign (S2S) Agreements” was identified as a preferred term because it better describes efforts to form respectful relationships around shared desires to improve land-use practices. The online repository is possible thanks to the collective work of many to better include Indigenous voices in land management decisions. The effort builds on the spirit of thought leaders such as Margery Hunter Brown, Raymond Cross, Charles Wilkinson, Robin Wall Kimmerer, David Getches, John Echohawk, Ralph Johnson and many others in hopes of working towards a future where Native and non-Native people can work in concert to benefit the land. 

The Native American Rights Fund (NARF) and The Wilderness Society collaborated with the University of Washington and the University of Montana to organize and make available the large amount of co-management information. Informed by Native perspectives on data sovereignty, the collection was created with the support of several organizations, like the University of Washington Law Library, the First Nations Development Institute (FNDI), and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). With Wilderness Society funding, NARF compiled materials such as Executive and Secretarial Orders, statutes, and regulations, sample agreements, academic research, and practice guidance. A significant contribution to the repository is a set of ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ developed by Professors Martin Nie of the University of Montana and Monte Mills of the University of Washington. It answers questions such as: Why use cooperative S2S agreements? What happens if there is a change in the administration? What is co-stewardship vs. co-management?  

Repository feedback is welcome at uwnalc@uw.edu.  

Quotes from participating organizations:  

“We appreciate the agreements that Tribes have shared thus far as the repository provides an important resource to grow and strengthen tribal co-management opportunities.” – Mary Adelzadeh (Navajo), First Nations Development Institute, Director, Stewarding Native Lands Program 

“This repository provides a wealth of reliable information for every Tribal Nation’s consideration as they navigate co-management, co-stewardship, and sovereign-to-sovereign agreements in furtherance of their sovereignty, self-determination, and treaty rights.” – Starlyn Miller, (Little Shell Chippewa/Menominee/Mohican), Native Lands Partnerships Director, The Wilderness Society.  

“It’s a total honor to have been part of this amazing team and collaboration and help with a really incredible resource—one that could help bridge to a new era!” – Professor Martin Nie, Bolle Center for People and Forests, University of Montana 

“I’m deeply grateful and inspired by this collaborative effort and its goal to promote and support real, meaningful, and durable tribal co-management of our nation’s public lands.” - Professor Monte Mills, Charles I. Stone Professor of Law, Director, Native American Law Center, University of Washington 

"As we enter an era of shared responsibility and meaningful engagement in managing public lands, information on co-management and co-stewardship is critical for tribal governments and the federal government to make informed decisions that not only safeguard but, at their best, bolster tribal sovereignty." – Noah Lee (Ho-Chunk Nation), NARF Fellow 

“The repository consolidates and organizes information on co-management/sovereign-to-sovereign agreements, so practitioners are more able to accomplish the unique land management goals shared by federal agencies and those indigenous to the lands.” – Ada Montague Stepleton, NARF Staff Attorney 

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