WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Wildlife Federation has established a Tribal Advisory Council to guide the organization’s partnerships and conservation initiatives with Indigenous partners and serve as a conduit of support for Tribal communities.

The council will provide expertise and consultation related to respecting Indigenous Knowledges; wildlife and natural resources; Indian law and policy; Free, Prior and Informed Consent; coalition building and collaboration; and the interconnections between ecology and culture. The council will also help ensure the Federation’s actions honor and respect the experiences and sovereignty of Indigenous partners.

“The National Wildlife Federation is committed to centering collaboration, respect, and deference in our approach to conservation with our Tribal and Indigenous partners,” said Ben Kota, chief operating officer for the National Wildlife Federation. “This is history in the making for the Federation and will ensure we walk a path of equitable and just relationships in our work to come.”

“The knowledges Indigenous peoples hold are invaluable and have proven successful for thousands of years. The connections we have to our lands, forests, waters, plants, and animals are not to go understated or taken for granted. This Council brings a wealth of expertise, passion, and leadership to the Federation to ensure we’re leaving a history of collaboration and respect for those that have been here and are still here,” said Butch Blazer, chair of the Tribal Advisory Council.

Tribal Advisory Council members include:

• Arthur “Butch” Blazer, Mescalero Apache Tribe
• John Banks, Penobscot Indian Nation
• Karen Driver, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
• Shaun Grassel, Lower Brule Sioux
• Koa Kaulukukui, Kanaka Ma'oli (Native Hawaiian)
• Stevie Parsons, Kanaka Ma'oli (Native Hawaiian), Māori and Taíno descent
• Gloria Tom, Diné (Navajo Nation)
• Charles Young, Kanaka Ma'oli (Native Hawaiian)

In collaboration with Inclusive Community Consulting, the National Wildlife Federation has adopted a strategy to enhance Tribal and Indigenous partnerships with a core focus on Intergenerational knowledge transmission, water protection, and food sovereignty. The Tribal Advisory Council has identified priorities that are extensions of these principles and will influence the Federation’s focus of centering work with Indigenous communities:

• Connectivity and wildlife corridors
• Co-stewardship and rematriation
• Equitable funding opportunities
• Grassland restoration and protections
• Native seed keeping programs
• Public education and youth engagement
• Salmon conservation and infrastructure
• Tribal sovereignty and self-determination
• Uplifting Traditional Ecological Knowledges and Indigenous voices