Knowledge Basket · Toolbox
Toolbox
Toolkits, policy documents, and a digital library for building Indigenous economic futures.
Land & Water Guardianship
Washoe Tribe Historical Presence in the Sierra Valley Landscape
Vision plan narrative documenting the Washoe Tribe's millennia-long cultural, spiritual, and ecological relationship with the Sierra Valley (Long Valley) landscape. Prepared as part of a conservation partnership project, contextualizing Washoe territorial affiliation, displacement, and the importance of restoring indigenous stewardship in the Northern Sierra Nevada.
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Land & Water Guardianship
Amah Mutsun Land Trust
Tribal land trust of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band working to protect, restore, and reclaim ancestral lands in the Santa Cruz / San Juan Bautista area. A leading example of tribal-led land return and indigenous stewardship in California.
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Land & Water Guardianship
Sogorea Te' Land Trust
Urban Indigenous women-led land trust in the San Francisco Bay Area facilitating the return of Lisjan/Ohlone territory to Indigenous stewardship. Co-founded by Corrina Gould and Johnella LaRose; pioneered the Shuumi Land Tax model for settler accountability and urban land return.
Land & Water Guardianship
BLM Co-Stewardship Legal Authorities: Detailed Discussion of FLPMA and Related Statutes
Legal memorandum analyzing the statutory and regulatory authorities — including Section 307(b) of FLPMA — that authorize the Bureau of Land Management to enter co-stewardship and cooperative management agreements with tribal nations.
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Land & Water Guardianship
Land Co-Management Repository
Searchable online repository of co-management agreements, MOUs, joint management plans, and legal frameworks compiled by NARF. Covers federal and state co-management arrangements between tribal nations and government agencies across the United States.
Land & Water Guardianship
USFS Pacific Southwest Region Tribal Partnership Matrix
Reference matrix documenting the full range of agreements, consultation processes, and partnership mechanisms available between the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region and California tribal nations for land, resource, and cultural site co-management.
Land & Water Guardianship
Salmon Feeds Our People: The Importance of Salmon to the Karuk and Yurok Tribes
Peer-reviewed research documenting the central role of salmon in the diet, culture, health, and sovereignty of Northern California tribal nations. Demonstrates how salmon decline intersects with food insecurity, treaty rights, and the need for river restoration.
Land & Water Guardianship
The Study on Indian Water Rights — California Indian Legal Services (2024)
Authoritative 82-page legal study explaining California's framework for tribal water rights, including the Winters Doctrine, federal reserved rights, quantification processes, and practical implications for California tribal nations seeking to assert and protect their water.
Land & Water Guardianship
The Indigenous World 2024
Annual reference publication providing a global overview of the status and rights of indigenous peoples. Covers land rights, climate justice, political developments, legal frameworks, and governance across every world region. Essential reference for advocacy and policy work.
Land & Water Guardianship
Indigenous Guardians Toolkit
Practical toolkit for Indigenous Guardian programs — land and sea monitoring initiatives led by Indigenous peoples to protect and manage their traditional territories. Includes program design templates, funding strategies, legal frameworks, and case studies.
Land & Water Guardianship
ICCA Toolkit: Recognising and Supporting Territories and Areas Conserved by Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities
Practical toolkit for recognizing, supporting, and strengthening ICCAs—indigenous-governed territories and conservation areas. Covers legal recognition, documentation strategies, governance models, and global advocacy. The definitive international reference for community-governed conservation.
Land & Water Guardianship
Good Practices in Participatory Mapping: A Review for IFAD
Comprehensive review of participatory mapping methods enabling indigenous and rural communities to assert territorial rights, document traditional land use, and engage in land governance. Covers community mapping, GPS methods, GIS, and legal recognition pathways.
Land & Water Guardianship
Science Synthesis to Support Socioecological Resilience in the Sierra Nevada and Southern Cascade Range
Federal science synthesis examining collaborative and participatory approaches to national forest management in the Sierra Nevada, including the role of tribal nations and local communities in land stewardship, fire management, and ecosystem decisions.
Land & Water Guardianship
We Rise Together: Achieving Pathway to Canada Target 1 Through Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas
Report and recommendations from Canada's Indigenous Circle of Experts on creating Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas in the spirit and practice of reconciliation. A foundational IPCA framework document widely cited in U.S. and Canadian co-stewardship advocacy.
Land & Water Guardianship
Joint Secretarial Order 3403: Fulfilling the Trust Responsibility to Indian Tribes in the Stewardship of Federal Lands and Waters
Binding order from the Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior directing both departments to ensure tribal nations are full partners in the stewardship of federal lands and waters. Establishes co-stewardship as formal federal policy and outlines mandatory consultation and partnership obligations.