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Nation to Nation Tribal Virtual Consultation Meeting was a great success
The Oklahoma Tribal Conservation Advisory Council and the Oklahoma leadership for the agencies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, hosted a “Nation to Nation” Tribal Virtual Consultation Meeting on Aug. 17.
This was truly a special event with all of Oklahoma's sovereign tribes having been invited to attend.
More than 105 individuals registered for this year’s virtual event.
The hosting tribe for this year’s event was the Chickasaw Nation, and Chickasaw Governor Bill Anoatubby provided the welcome message.
Governor Anoatubby’s comments included, “As a Sovereign Nation actively engaged in various interests and projects that impact both Chickasaw and non-Chickasaw residents and citizens, the Chickasaw Nation understands the great importance of working with other government entities on collective goals. Over the years we have developed excellent working relationships with local, state and federal government agencies as well as other tribal nations. These government to government relationships have allowed us to collaborate and use our combined expertise to achieve results together. Our relationship of federal, state and local governments and their agencies are enormously important. By working together for a common goal, we can achieve far more than we could alone. That is what makes this meeting so important.”
Also, Natural Resources Conservation Service State Conservationist Gary O’Neill announced that the Choctaw Nation is forming a Tribal Conservation District.
“The Nation to Nation consultation event is a great way to share successes and discuss things USDA can improve on in Indian Country,” O’Neill said. “This consultation leads to stronger and more effective partnerships between Tribes in Oklahoma and USDA.”
Those who shared successes included: USDA-NRCS, USDA-NASS, USDA-FSA, USDA-RD, USDA-FNS, USDA-APHIS, and the Oklahoma Conservation Commission along with several Tribal officials.
Those also a part of this year’s gathering included the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Southern Plains and Eastern Region; U.S. Fish and Wildlife; Oklahoma State University; University of Tulsa; NACD; and Radio Station KOSU’s Seth Bodine.
Tribes in attendance included: Wyandotte Nation; Chickasaw Nation, Choctaw Nation; Eastern Shawnee; Fort Sill Apache; Modoc Tribe; Muscogee Nation; Osage Nation; Peoria Tribe; Quapaw Nation; Caddo Nation; Wichita and Affiliated Tribes; Iowa Nation; Shawnee Tribe; Seminole Nation; Citizen Potawatomi Nation; Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes; Otoe-Missouria Tribe; and United Keetoowah Band of Cherokees.
"This event provides us with an opportunity to engage tribal leaders and administrators from across Oklahoma and helps us identify ways that USDA can better serve tribal governments and tribal members, particularly those that are engaged in farming and/or ranching,” said USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service Tribal Liaison Dr. Carol Crouch. "We realize that protecting natural resources and preserving the land for future generations is a major priority among American Indian tribes. We are looking forward to the opportunity to discuss ways that tribal governments and tribal members can better utilize USDA resources."
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