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the Department operates 9 programs: (1) fish culture, (2) fisheries management, (3) wildlife 

 management, (4) conservation law enforcement, (5) forestry, (6) water resources, (7) 

 resource marketing, (8) parks and recreation, and (9) multi-media. 



To better carry out the Band's constitutional responsibility for natural resources 

 protection, we developed a ten year Integrated Resource Management Plan (IRMP) which 

 establishes a coordinated approach to the management of our diverse resources. 

 Unfortunately, the implementation of the IRMP has been impeded by a lack of funding. 

 However, we remain committed to the IRMP, which is vital to our ability to develop a 

 sustainable economy, in which our natural resources and the Reservation environment can 

 thrive while co-existing with our economic development initiatives. 



We see the enactment of fish and wildlife legislation as an important step towards the 

 protection and enhancement of the Reservation's natural resources. In our view, the 

 Committee should draft legislation that will define the federal government's commitment to 

 and recognition of tribal natural resources departments, provide stable and continued 

 funding for such departments, define the trust responsibility as it pertains to tribal natural 

 resources, and recognize tribal jurisdiction over all natural resources and all persons within 

 the exterior boundaries of the reservation. 



In fulfillment of these objectives, we are pleased to suggest for the Committee's 

 consideration several specific initiatives for inclusion in the legislation. We also have 

 concerns which are of a more immediate nature ~ that may affect the FY94 funding for 

 natural resources. We describe both of these matters below. 



A. Proposals for consideration as legislative initiatives 



1. The legislation should set forth the federal trust responsibility for tribal 

 natural resources . The legislation should clearly set forth the federal trust responsibility for 

 the protection of tribal natural resources. In addition, it should strongly support the 

 operation of tribal natural resource programs and seek to coordinate the existing federal 

 programs which assist tribes in the operation of their natural resource programs. 



The protection and enhancement of tribal natural resources goes to the core of the 

 federal trust responsibility. These resources, protected and secured to the tribes by treaty, 

 have a vital role in the culture, religion, and economy of Indian tribes. The guarantees of 

 the treaty -- reserving these rights to the tribes -- are meaningless unless these resources 

 receive the protection needed for them to thrive. This is exactly what the trust responsibility 

 is intended to do - protect the guarantees of the treaties. The legislation should confirm 

 that the federal role in the protection of these resources is a function of the trust 

 responsibility and should commit the government to providing the necessary protections in 

 its role as trustee. 



