Building meaningful collaborations with tribal partners
In early June, the Oregon Land Justice Project hosted a site visit to the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR). Twenty-five Delegates from 15 organizations came together to represent the land trust and conservation community. Over two and a half days, the Delegation spent time with several CTUIR leaders and staff, learning more about First Foods, water rights, and various other needs related to land access.
This hands-on experience exposed the Delegation to CTUIR’s traditional lifeways and contemporary land use. Through both sun and rain, the Delegation toured the reservation to gain a better understanding of the current landscape, CTUIR’s usual and accustomed lands, and various natural resource programs and projects the Tribe is involved in. The visit put much of the learning gained throughout the last year into context and sparked conversations about where we, as a community, can meaningfully collaborate with our tribal partners at CTUIR.
Thank you to all the Delegates for taking time to participate in this visit. We especially thank Gabe Sheoships for facilitating and bringing the Delegation to his community. Lastly, we are sincerely grateful to all of the speakers who graciously shared their knowledge with us. We look forward to bringing the Land Justice community together again soon!
