Tribal Voices for Resilient Ecosystems and Communities – Trip to Washington, DC

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Published March 22, 2024

Lomakatsi was honored to be part of a delegation involving elected tribal Council representatives and tribal appointees from three Tribal Nations – the Northern Paiute Gidutikad Band of the Fort Bidwell Indian Tribe, the Burns Paiute Tribe, and the Kosealekte Band of the Ajumawi-Atsuge Nation (Pit River Tribe) – on a trip with Lomakatsi executive and program leadership to the nation’s Capitol this week. The delegation met with federal agency leadership from the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture, as well as Senator Jeff Merkley and staff from Senator Ron Wyden’s team, to discuss increasing the pace and scale of tribally centered forest and watershed restoration.

Throughout the week, we shared success stories from our long-term partnerships with agencies, Tribal Nations, tribal communities, and NGOs, and discussed new tribally focused initiatives to reduce wildfire risk to communities and the ecosystem, restore wildlife habitat, and bolster ecocultural resources. We also discussed the expansion of tribal workforce development training for youth and young adults through Indian Youth Service Corps, and had the opportunity to join part of the Corps Network National Conference.

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The delegation included: Liz Hernandez, Tribal Council, Northern Paiute Gidutikad Band of the Fort Bidwell Indian Tribe; Gabe First Raised, Tribal Council Vice Chairman of the Burns Paiute Tribe; and from Lomakatsi: Marko Bey, Executive Director; Belinda Brown, Tribal Partnerships Director – also representing the Kosealekte Band of the Ajumawi-Atsuge Nation and Chair of the Inter-Tribal Ecosystem Restoration Partnership; George Swartzlender, Tribal Initiatives Project Manager – also representing the Kosealekte Band; Chris Anderson, Tribal Workforce Development Manager – also representing the Kosealekte Band; Tom Greco, Communications Director; and Adam Lohman, Ecological Forester & Policy Analyst.

We’re grateful to our amazing tribal and federal agency partners and are honored to continue working together toward healthier ecosystems and fire adapted communities. Check out these photos with captions for more detail about the trip.