For decades, Theresa Harlan was warned that her family’s beloved cabin in Point Reyes National Seashore would be torn down, erased like all other traces of Coastal Miwok heritage in this fog-veiled, wind-sculpted landscape.
But now she has the park’s promise that it will stay, a small but symbolic gesture in the growing movement to correct historic wrongs and give Native Americans a voice about the fate of lands and waters that were once theirs.
“There is a shift,” said Harlan, 63. “We are treated as stakeholders.”
Long after being removed, sometimes violently, tribes are negotiating collaborative or cooperative roles in 80 national parks, including Point Reyes. This month, federal officials will release details about Native partnership in the proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary off the Central California coast, the first tribal-nominated marine sanctuary designation in the nation.
In another four national parks — Canyon de Chelly National Monument in Arizona, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in Alaska, Grand Portage National Monument in Minnesota, and Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida — tribes have larger and more formal co-management roles.
At Point Reyes, the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria are partnering with park management to help resolve the contentious debate over the future of the tule elk reserve there. A tribal representative participates in every meeting to discuss elk management strategies — including whether to remove a two-mile-long fence to give the animals access to more forage and water. Ranchers say such a move would threaten their livelihood. After the public comment period closes on Monday, the tribe will work with the park on next steps.
“The tribe has a lot of wisdom, a lot of experience and also an interest in helping co-steward this land,” said Craig Kenkel, superintendent of the national seashore. “They have been connected with this land far longer than the National Park…
Read the full article here