At least five Tribal nations in at least four states are paying to lease over 57,000 acres of state trust lands within their reservation boundaries

Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities


** Investigation reveals how public institutions benefit from Tribal lands
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Tuesday, September 17, 2024
The CSKT Bison Range on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana, Ryan Hagerty/USFWS via Flickr ([link removed])

An investigation ([link removed]) by High Country News and Grist has revealed the extent to which public institutions benefit from extractive activities on Tribal lands. As Western states entered the Union, they were granted parcels of land—often, land that had been taken from Tribes. The parcels were assigned based on gridlines superimposed on a map, with a certain section number or numbers within each township designated as state trust land, contributing to a "checkerboard" pattern of land ownership. Additional parcels were taken from Tribes through the allotment process, which transferred lands from Tribal to individual private ownership.

"There’s definitely a colonial imperative in the existence of those lands," said ([link removed]) Miriam Jorgensen, research director at the Harvard Project on Indigenous Governance and Development. The investigation found ([link removed]) that, as a result of these policies, across 79 Tribal reservations in 15 states, there are more than two million acres of state trust lands within Tribal reservation boundaries.

States are generally required to manage state trust lands in order to maximize revenue for beneficiaries, which are usually public schools and a small number of other state institutions. In many cases, states meet this requirement by leasing state trust lands for resource development such as oil and gas drilling or renewable energy production. The investigation found ([link removed]) that at least five Tribal nations in at least four states are paying to lease more than 57,000 acres of state trust lands within their own reservation boundaries.

This system has put some Tribes in the position of having to lease back land within their own reservation boundaries to the benefit of institutions that serve primarily non-Indigenous residents, according to ([link removed]) the investigation's analysis. Furthermore, management of state trust lands can be at odds with a Tribe's management of its reservation lands, preventing the Tribe from achieving its objectives. "Sometimes the placement of (trust lands) affects cultural practices, or precludes cultural practices from happening on those tracts," said ([link removed]) Tony Incashola Jr., director of tribal resources for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. "We can’t do anything about it, because they have the right to manage their land."

Despite the legal obstacles, some states—including Montana and Washington—have made some efforts to execute land exchanges that would result in some state trust lands ultimately being returned to Tribes. However, these efforts apply only to surface acres and not to mineral resources below the surface. In the end, according to Incashola ([link removed]) , "It’s not a want for ownership, it’s a want for protection of resources, for making us whole again to manage our forests again the way we want to manage them."


** Quick hits
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How Project 2025 could lead to worse climate impacts, less support for communities

NM Political Report ([link removed])

Judge blocks new drilling permits for Wyoming oil development project

Reuters ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])

Exploration project could become an Idaho mine. Environmental groups are worried

Idaho Capital Sun ([link removed])

Colorado mining town’s polluted legacy has a potential for profit, but some are wary of the risk

Associated Press ([link removed])

As New Mexico studies undocumented earthquakes, state cancels dozens of planned wastewater injection sites

Capital & Main ([link removed])

Wildfire smoke exposure measures fail to capture long-term health effects, racial disparities

The Conversation ([link removed])

Already the largest in the world, eastern Oregon’s dark sky sanctuary is expected to grow

KTVZ ([link removed])

Photo essay: Glacier National Park's Floral Park Traverse

Flathead Beacon ([link removed])


** Quote of the day
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” It’s not that they’re mismanaging everything, but their management philosophy and scheme do not align with ours. Their tactics sometimes don’t align with ours, which in turn affects our capability of managing our land.”

—Tony Incashola Jr., Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, High Country News ([link removed])


** Picture This
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@usinterior ([link removed])
Meditating ChipMonk 🧘‍

This fall, take a break and spend some time in nature. You're important. The outdoors and public lands are waiting for you.

Photo at @yosemitenps ([link removed]) by Zachary Flick

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