Panel Delays Decision on Tribal Recognition in Chesapeake Bay Agreement

State and Federal leaders on Tuesday put off a decision on whether they will grant a longstanding request by a council of Tribes from around Virginia to be added as signatories to the updated Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.

The Bay Program’s Principals’ Staff Committee voted to hold off on deciding how to recognize the Tribes in the agreement until later this year and committed to work with the Tribes to develop a resolution for consideration in December establishing the structure for a “meaningful partnership” with the Tribes and the Bay partnership.

The action follows a resolution the Indigenous Conservation Council passed early last year asking to be included in the updated Bay Agreement. In December, the committee agreed to come up with solutions by July 1.

The Indigenous Conservation Council includes representatives from all seven federally recognized Tribes in Virginia. The Tribes have been steadfast partners in conservation work that aligns with the goals and outcomes in the update Bay agreement, including:

• Mussels. The Pamunkey, Mattaponi, and Upper Mattaponi Tribes have been active participants in the newly created Pamunkey Freshwater Mussel Alliance, a consortium of partners looking for opportunities to restore the population of freshwater mussels.
• Oyster restoration. The tribes have been invaluable supporters and partners on CBF’s oyster restoration efforts, including work through the Chesapeake Oyster Alliance.
• Land recognition. CBF has supported pushes from tribes, including the Nansemond Indian Nation, to reclaim ancestral land in parts of Virginia.

CBF is hopeful there will be a strong outcome where tribes are treated as equal partners in the Bay agreement, given the centuries of experience from Indigenous people on preservation and restoration.

Chesapeake Bay Foundation Senior Policy Director Keisha Sedlacek issued the following statement:

“Indigenous tribes are stewards of the lands and waters around the Chesapeake Bay and have been for thousands of years. For far too long, they have not had a seat at the table when it comes to Bay restoration.”

“Deliberations on whether to add the Tribes as partners have gone on for too long, and we are hopeful and determined to get a strong outcome where Tribes are meaningfully included in the partnership by the time the Bay Program’s Chesapeake Executive Council meets in December.”

“Tribes across the region would amplify their voices on Bay restoration, exercise their right to self-government, bring indigenous knowledge to conservation and restoration, and strengthen efforts to protect their ancestral lands and waterways.”