Trinidad Rancheria Partners on First U.S. Indigenous Marine Stewardship Area
The Trinidad Rancheria, in partnership with two other Tribes, has created the first Tribal Marine Stewardship Area in the United States to advance Tribal stewardship and co-management of critical ecosystems.
Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria has partnered with the Resighini Tribe of Yurok People and the Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation to create the Yurok-Tolowa-Dee-ni' Indigenous Marine Stewardship Area. This is the first-ever ocean protection area designated by Tribal governments in the United States and it covers nearly 700 square miles of our ancestral ocean and coastal territories. This historic project will advance long-term Tribal stewardship and governance, as well as Tribal and State co-management of critical ecosystems.
This initiative aims to protect a region with high biodiversity that is under threat from factors such as sea level rise and coastal erosion. The Stewardship Area is home to species of high cultural and biological value including mussels, seaweed, kelp, clams, abalone, surf and night smelts, salmon, candlefish, green sturgeon, shorebirds, and eels or lamprey. The strategy involves bolstering Tribal stewardship and leveraging Traditional Ecological Knowledge to address key regional concerns, including deteriorating water quality, ocean acidification, loss of species and habitats, offshore development, and other effects of the climate crisis that impact community health. The three collaborating Tribes are currently participating in multiple ocean and coastal research and monitoring projects of species.
The resolution reads, in part:
“Our Tribes hereby declare and designate the ocean and coastal territory from what is commonly known as the California – Oregon border (north) to Little River (south), mean high tide (east), and out three (3) nautical miles beyond the outermost islands, reefs, and rocks, and including all waters between those and the coast (west), which encompasses to be the Yurok – Tolowa Dee-ni′ Indigenous Marine Stewardship Area or IMSA; and be it further resolved, these waters are also claimed by the State of California, who through its California Natural Resources Agency Pathways to 30x30: Accelerating Conservation of California’s Nature Report, support the concept of Indigenous Marine Stewardship.”
This initiative is not only a testament to our sovereignty, but also a significant step towards the preservation of our cultural resources and traditions. As stated by our Chairman, Garth Sundberg, "A resilient marine ecosystem is essential for the well-being and protection of cultural and traditional species of importance to Trinidad Rancheria." We are proud to be part of this groundbreaking project and look forward to leading the way in Indigenous-led conservation efforts.
