A recent study conducted by researchers at the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute revealed challenges and opportunities for federal agencies seeking to develop shared stewardship of wild and scenic rivers with Tribal Nations. Drawing on comparative case studies of the Eleven Point and Fossil Creek wild and scenic rivers, the report identifies areas of collaboration and reveals opportunities for federal agencies to strengthen management planning and practice alongside and with Tribes. The findings provide insights into directions for federal-Tribal shared stewardship of our nation’s wild and scenic rivers.
In recent years, the federal government has advanced shared stewardship of federal lands with American Indian Tribes across land management agencies. Yet little is understood about how these efforts are carried out in the context of wild and scenic rivers. The rivers are managed across four federal land management agencies—the Bureau of Land Management, the Forest Service, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Rivers designated under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act are managed to protect their free-flowing, undammed quality, along with "outstandingly remarkable values—rare, unique, or exemplary features at a regional or national scale.
To better understand what leads to a successful federal-Tribal shared stewardship, Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute interviewed river management staff and Tribes to build comparative case studies between two rivers managed by the U.S. Forest Service—the Eleven Point River in Missouri and Fossil Creek in Arizona. Interviews with U.S. Forest Service representatives three Yavapai-Apache Tribal representatives to identify and examine key perspectives of shared stewardship.
You can read the report here: Comparative Case Study to Identify Opportunities to Strengthen Federal-Tribal Shared Stewardship of Wild and Scenic Rivers
