Dear Relatives,
 

The political landscape we face today is one of escalating threats, deepening injustices, and urgent calls to action. Across the U.S. and the world, we are witnessing policies that seek to dismantle Indigenous sovereignty, criminalize dissent, and strip away hard-fought protections for our lands and waters. The recent wave of executive orders from Donald Trump is a direct assault on Indigenous sovereignty, our environment, and the very fabric of our working-class communities. 
 

These policies roll back environmental safeguards, gut protections for sacred sites, and embolden state repression against land and water defenders. From the violent expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure to the militarization of borderlands where Indigenous Peoples have lived since time immemorial, the forces of colonialism and corporate greed are escalating their attacks on our people and the planet. 
 

This is not just about politics—it is about our right to exist. In fact, these orders are not just words on paper; they are calculated attempts to sow fear, strip away protections, and silence those who resist. The chilling reality is that these policies are designed to intimidate us into submission, to make us feel powerless against the machine of extraction and erasure. But we know better. We have always known better.
 

We refuse to be silent. We have seen this before, and we know what it takes to fight back. Our ancestors faced the full force of colonial control and stood firm in their defense of life, land, and future generations. Today, we do the same. From the frontlines of extraction battles to the halls of policy advocacy, Indigenous Peoples and allies continue to rise. Across Turtle Island and beyond, movements are strengthening, coalitions are growing, and our collective power is undeniable.
At IEN, we are organizing, mobilizing, and resisting in every space possible.
 

Whether it's holding the line against fossil fuel expansion, amplifying real, Indigenous-led solutions to the climate crisis, or fighting for policies that uphold our inherent rights, we remain unwavering in our commitment to protect Mother Earth and our communities. 
 

In the face of repression, we choose to build power. In the face of fear, we choose to stand together. But we can’t do this alone. 
 

This is a moment that demands collective action. We need you—whether that means joining us at a frontline action, amplifying the voices of land defenders, or holding elected officials accountable. Every effort, every voice, and every act of resistance matters. Together, we will not only resist—we will build the future our ancestors dreamed of.



Despite what might feel like an overwhelming battle ahead, always acting on the prayers of our ancestors and with direction from our community, IEN programs staff, organizers, and grassroots leaders had a busy February.




 

Indigenous Feminisms
 

February 14, 2025, marked another day of remembrance and action across Turtle Island, honoring the lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIW/R). IEN, Feminisms Lead Simone Senogles (Red Lake Anishinaabe) representing our organization in a walk to uplift the voices of families and friends who have lost loved ones.
 

The Indigenous Feminisms program at IEN is rooted in the understanding that what happens to the body happens to the land, recognizing the deep connection between environmental injustice and the ongoing MMIW/R crisis. 
 

IEN partners with MMIW218, a grassroots organization dedicated to building community and uplifting the voices of those affected by MMIW/R, to hold the annual walk. Hundreds came out to support the day of action locally in Bemidji, MN, which is part of a larger movement across the U.S. and Canada to demand justice and systemic change. The crisis of MMIW/R is not isolated, it is intertwined with broader patterns of violence, including the harm caused by extractive industries and ‘man camps’ near Indigenous communities.
 

Studies show these camps intensify violence, straining local infrastructure and increasing the risks for Indigenous women and children. By standing together in solidarity, we honor those we have lost and reaffirm our commitment to protecting our people, our lands, and our future generations.
 

From January 24-26, 2025, IEN’s Indigenous Feminisms Educator, Claire Charlo (Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes), attended the 4th International Indigenous Women’s Symposium on Environmental Violence in Guatemala City, Guatemala. The symposium, organized by the International Indian Treaty Council (IITC), the International Indigenous Women’s Forum (FIMI), the National Coordination of Widows of Guatemala (CONAVIGUA), and the Centre for the Indigenous Peoples’ Autonomy and Development (CADPI), brought together Indigenous women from across North, Central, and South America.
 

Participants shared diverse experiences, cultures, and languages—including Mayan, K’iche’, Spanish, and English—fostering deep learning and solidarity.
 

Each morning opened with a ceremony, including a Mayan blessing and a North American Water Ceremony. The symposium built upon previous gatherings focused on environmental violence impacting Indigenous women and girls. IEN Board President Faith Gemmil (Neets’aii Gwich’in, Pit River, Wintu) spoke on the panel “Climate Violence: Threats, Impacts and False Solutions Including ‘Transition Minerals’ Mining and Carbon Markets,” addressing the dangers of geoengineering in Alaska and the risks of carbon credits and offsets.
 

Participants engaged in discussions, learned from expert panelists, and strengthened international solidarity. A key moment came on the final day when attendees reviewed the 3rd Declaration for Health, Life, and Defense of Our Lands, Rights, and Future Generations, adopted in 2018, which calls on States, the UN, and partners to address environmental health and violence against Indigenous women. Building on this, they began drafting the 4th declaration, reaffirming Indigenous women’s roles as life-givers, healers, and leaders while denouncing environmental destruction. Claire and others were able to build upon the work of previous symposiums to continue to serve our communities and nations and to put forth tangible solutions to environmental violence.


 



Climate Justice

 

IEN Carbon Pricing Educator Thomas Joseph Tsewenaldin (Hupa, Karuk, Paiute-Shoshone) led a month-long educational and community engagement tour kicking off the end of January by attending the Eco Farms Conference, a convention of 1,500 small family organic farmers, primarily from California but also from other states. Small family farmers are also on the frontlines of the climate crisis, experiencing its radical changes firsthand, much like our communities. 


Attendees expressed deep concern about the threats that were outlined and asked how they could engage more effectively at the state level. Tsewenaldin spoke on a panel addressing how climate change policies and carbon credits represent false solutions to the climate crisis. He also discussed broader false solutions and highlighted the threats posed by biodiversity offsets, 30x30 initiatives, and the future harm carbon capture pipelines pose if the California Pipeline Moratorium is lifted. Tswenaldin emphasized that these issues and policies are already contributing to land loss for organic farmers and could further endanger their livelihoods. IEN recognizes that farmers are critical voices in this fight to address climate change and stop false solutions, and their involvement is essential in our efforts to organize across the region to push back against false solutions in efforts to protect our land, food systems, and communities.
 

Thomas Joseph continued his education and community engagement tour by representing IEN at a meeting of the California Indian Environmental Alliance. The two-day gathering convened California North Coast Tribal Nations and state, county, and Tribal government officials for the North Coast Resource Partnership, which aims to enhance the watersheds and communities of the North Coast region and the quality of life for all. There, IEN hosted a roundtable discussion on California Cap and Trade and Offset Projects where Tsewenaldin educated the audience on why these are false solutions and emphasized the importance of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent because various Tribal Nations were not aware that their cultural fire programs were being funded by carbon offsets. 


In early February, Thomas Joseph continued his journey north to Anchorage, AK, and connected with IEN staff, Climate Geoengineering Organizer, Panganga Pungowiyi (Sivaqaq Yupik), IEN Geoengineering Outreach Organizer, Adrienne Blatchford (Inupiak/Yupik-Village of Unalakleet), and IEN Board President Faith Gemmil (Neets’aii Gwich’in, Pit River and Wintu.) There, our IEN climate justice team held a three-day power planning and strategy meeting to outline their community outreach and education work with Alaska and California tribes around geoengineering, carbon markets, and other false solutions. Our fierce West Coast team will continue to organize a strong and united front in the fight against false solutions, all while ensuring the protection of Indigenous lands and lifeways. 


Tsewenaldin continued his educational tour and attended the Métis National Council Global Summit from February 11th-17th to share his expertise on false solutions and his work with the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change within the UNFCCC. Tsewenaldin presented to a packed house of Metis governance and members with guests from across the globe. He also addressed the flaws of international climate policy while Canada and the U.S. are engaged in a trade war, highlighting the fragile state of international diplomacy. He also underscored why false solutions and neoliberal practices have no place in climate negotiations.


Back in the San Francisco Bay Area, he was joined again by his climate justice colleagues, IEN Geoengineering Organizer Panganga Pungowiyi (Sivaqaq Yupik) and IEN Board President Faith Gemmil (Neets’aii Gwich’in, Pit River and Wintu), and his mother, Patty Joseph of California Kitchen. There, they attended the Hands off Mother Earth (HOME) constituent convening and training on geoengineering. 


Finally, Thomas Joseph closes out the last leg of his month-long educational and community engagement tour by attending the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference at the University of Oregon with IEN Ring of Fire cohort members. There, he is leading discussions on forming a coalition to address the growing false solutions propaganda and disinformation campaigns by polluting corporations and industries, in particular the oil and gas industries.



Indigenous Just Transition
 
February 10-13, IEN Indigenous Just Transition (IJT) Organizer Mary Crowe (Eastern Band Cherokee) and IEN Policy Analyst/ Legislative Advocate Jordan Harmon (Muscogee (Creek) Nation) attended the 2025 National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) Executive Council Winter Session in Washington, D.C. In response to the January memo from the federal Office of Management and Budget which issued a temporary freeze of all federal funding and the cuts across federal agencies, NCAI created the agenda for this session around the federal-Tribal trust responsibilities and advocating for Tribal programs to remain funded.
 

Plenary panel sessions focused on addressing the issues with federal draw downs across Indian Country. Tribal leaders shared their stories on being blocked from accessing federal funds and strategies on ensuring their important government functions remain operational. Mary and Jordan attended NCAI task force meetings, including the climate justice task force, budget task force, cannabis task force, and a Two-Spirit task force.
 

On Thursday, IEN joined Tribal leaders in a Hill day, meeting with Congress members to educate them on the importance of the trust responsibilities and keeping Tribal climate justice programs funded.
 

IEN staff met with a total of 9 Congressional offices, including members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, House Natural Resources Committee, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Senate Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry Committee, and the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. They also attended the NCAI Youth Reception, where they handed out IJT brochures and invited youth to join IEN’s work.
 

 

 

 

Keep It In the Ground
 

On January 27, 2025, IEN Keep it in the Ground Co-lead Coordinator and MIning Organizer Talia Boyd (Diné) supported Diné grassroots leaders to rally in front of the Navajo Nation Tribal Council Chambers to acknowledge the National Day of Remembrance for Uranium Downwinders and to call on Congress to reauthorize the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA).
 

“The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act is a US law that provides financial compensation to individuals who developed specific health conditions due to exposure to radiation from nuclear weapons testing or uranium mining during the Cold War, including "downwinders" who lived near test sites and uranium miners, millers, and ore transporters; it is administered by the Department of Justice and offers a one-time lump sum payment to those eligible.”
 

The Radiation Exposure and Compensation Act expired in June of 2024; new compensation claims cannot be filed. Congress has not yet passed legislation to extend or expand the program, leaving many left without rightful compensation. 
 
Many Tribes across Turtle Island are disproportionately and adversely impacted by the nuclear fuel chain, from the mining, milling, transportation, processing, and waste, compliments of the military industrial complex, the Manhattan Project and the Cold War. Most uranium mining and milling is on or near Indigenous lands, and with the push for nuclear globally it is important to learn the real cost of nuclear energy and weapons.
 

The nuclear fuel chain is very carbon intensive with the use of fossil fuels and heavy machinery to mine, mill, transport, process and store radioactive material. Currently, there is active uranium mining in Arizona on the ancestral homelands of the Havasupai from the Pinyon Plain mine. Uranium ore is being transported through many tribal lands in northeastern Arizona and southeastern Utah to the White Mesa mill located on the ancestral homelands of the Ute Mountain Ute. The Navajo Nation alone has over 500 abandoned uranium mines left behind by the U.S. government that still needs to be remediated. We support grassroots organizing efforts to mobilize and educate people on the mining, milling, processing, transportation, and waste from the nuclear fuel chain. 
 
Indigenous peoples have carried the brunt of the pollution and displacement from the nuclear fuel chain since its inception. There are deep concerns about water, soil, and air contamination, including various health disparities. Many of these mines also desecrate cultural landscapes because they are located on or near sacred areas, which prohibits Indigenous peoples from accessing the land for ceremonial purposes. The transmission of our traditional knowledge systems is being impacted by mining and extractive industries. We will continue to amplify frontline voices and build solidarity. 
 
January 27-30, 2025, IEN Divestment Organizer Marcello Federico (Blackfoot, Cherokee) attended a virtual Organizer's Training for Justice : [link removed] in a cohort of around 35 people that was presented by the Midwest Academy : [link removed]. During the four days, the group explored ways to strategically develop campaigns based on deep power analysis, participated in role-playing exercises that helped integrate a racial justice and root cause analysis into their organizing work, and learned tools to more effectively reach out to communities when mobilizing around actions and movements. By the second day, participants had warmed up to each other, and Marcello expressed that it felt very generative and productive to dive into the discussions as a group. Participants were given access to a multitude of resources to help their future organizing.
 

1 [link removed]: [link removed] 
2.  [link removed]: [link removed] 




 

IEN Special Initiatives: Indigenous Sovereignty Advocacy and Indigenous Water Ethics 
 
Waitangi Day is a national holiday in Aotearoa (New Zealand) on February 6th as that is when Te Tiriti o Waitangi was signed between various Maori Iwi and hapu and the British Crown. Over the years, the Crown (what the government is called in Aotearoa) did not honor Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Because of significant actions by groups like the Waitangi Action Committee (WAC) up in Waitangi, a shift began in Crown/Maori relations. Back in 1983, an alliance was formed between the International Indian Treaty Council and WAC, which exists into the present.
 
This year, IEN Indigenous Sovereignty Advocate Michael Lane (Menominee) went to Waitangi to participate in an Indigenous Sunrise Ceremony and to share a solidarity statement passed at the Protecting Mother Earth Conference this past August. The government in Aotearoa is trying to abrogate Te Tiriti o Waitangi. IEN and IITC fully support the Maori in all efforts to stop this abrogation. People need to be aware that while the Maori are on the front line of this issue, the implications impact all Indigenous Peoples worldwide. If the New Zealand government is successful there, then expect the same process to be coming to a Treaty near you.
 
February 21-24, 2025, IEN Indigenous Water Ethics Organizer Mona Polacca (Havasupai, Hopi, Tewa) attended the Encuentra Internacional de Curanderismo held in the mountains of Peru, South America where she met with traditional healers, participated in ceremonies and traditional Indigenous dances and toured the Museo del Tùcume.



What’s happening and upcoming events…
 
4th International Indigenous Women’s Symposium on Environmental Violence
January 24 – 26, 2025 K’uljay – Casa de Los Encuentros  - Guatemala City, Guatemala 
 

 
Organized and co-sponsored by the International Indian Treaty Council (IITC), the International Indigenous Women’s Forum (FIMI), the National Coordination of Widows of Guatemala (CONAVIGUA) and the Centre for the Indigenous Peoples’ Autonomy and Development (CADPI)  
 

 
“We, Indigenous women, from 20 countries and territories from the seven regions of the world, guardians of the forests, deserts, oceans, tundra, grasslands, mountains, islands, and wetlands, gathered at the 4th International Indigenous Women’s Symposium on Environmental Violence, at K’uljay – Casa de los Encuentros in Guatemala City, Guatemala on January 24-26, 2025.”
 
Click here to review the entire Declaration. : [link removed]  Click here for more information and Spanish translation. : [link removed]
 
EVENTS
 
 
Mitigating the Impacts of Climate Change: Insights from Eriel Tchekwie Deranger into Indigenous Climate Action
In this workshop, Eriel Tchekwie Deranger will share her story of the creation of Indigenous Climate Action, an Indigenous-led Climate Justice initiative in so called Canada. Deranger has over two decades of experience working in local, national and international Climate change discourse, as a spokesperson for her community and within roles of various non-Indigenous organizations. Click here to register : [link removed]. 
 

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The Fourth Convening of the Four Winds
May 17-18, 2025
Old Ponca Agency Grounds, Niobrara, Nebraska
 

 
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7 Directions of Service Conference
Click here to register. : [link removed]
 

 

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The Bureau of Indian Affairs Branch of Tribal Community Resilience and the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals are seeking participation from federally recognized coastal Tribal members and/or staff in the lower 48 states that are interested in sharing their experiences, challenges, and successes related to relocation and to protection-in-place. These stories will support a report, The Estimated Unmet Need of Coastal Tribes in the Lower 48 States Facing Relocation Due to Climate Impacts. The purpose of these outreach materials is to enhance the awareness and understanding by decision-makers and broader audiences about the challenges faced by coastal Tribes in the lower 48 states as they address climate-related relocation and protection-in-place issues.
 

 To learn more about this Opportunity to Participate in the Multi-media project, please see the flier and visit our website : [link removed]. Contact us at [email protected] : mailto:[email protected] for any questions.



From Indian Country and Beyond....
 
Healing Through Horses - Blackfeet Led Project Click here to learn more : [link removed]. 


Federal budget cuts ‘cause real harm to tribal communities’ : [link removed]: Close to 100 tribal leaders highlight needs for health, public safety and other federal funding. Click here to learn more : [link removed].


Civil Society Groups Letter to the IPCC Ahead of 62nd Session: A Call to Center Equity, Real Solutions, and End Reliance on Highly Speculative Technologies Click here to learn more : [link removed]. &  Click here to read the letter : [link removed]. 
 

Petitioners Head to North Dakota Supreme Court in Effort to Lift Restriction on-Public Access Click here to read : [link removed].



Trump Suspends Permits for US Wind Power Industry, Industry Paralyzed - Click here to read : [link removed].



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IEN Staff & Management



The Indigenous Environmental Network - PO Box 485 - Bemidji - MN - 56619

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