U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Miccosukee Tribe Sign Co-Stewardship Agreement for South Florida Wildlife Refuges
The New Year brings a new opportunity to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida. The agreement provides opportunities for joint and cooperative endeavors focused on co-stewardship of South Florida’s national wildlife refuges and the natural and cultural resources that interest both parties.
A formal signing ceremony took place today at the Miccosukee Tribal Government Administrative Building within the Miccosukee Reserved Area.
“The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida have stewarded the lands and waters of Florida since time immemorial. The entirety of this land, and her flora and fauna, have been shaped by successive generations of our people. Our collective Indigenous Knowledge offers a unique perspective informed by this deep and historic relationship to the lands and waters of the National Wildlife Refuge System that lie within our traditional lands,” said Chairman Talbert Cypress. “We look forward to reestablishing collaborative stewardship of the National Wildlife Refuges in Florida, and celebrate the beginning of this collaboration in Loxahatchee, a region the Tribe has not had meaningful access to since the Battle of Loxahatchee almost two centuries ago. We celebrate the collaboration of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in reconnecting our people to these landscapes,” he added.
The agreement offers Miccosukee citizens the chance to fish, hunt, conduct ceremonies and gather medicinal and culturally significant plants in the national wildlife refuges within the Greater Everglades and adjacent to traditional Miccosukee lands. The Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge will be the first to provide these opportunities.
“We have a cooperative relationship at the refuge with the Tribe, and this agreement further strengthens our partnership by recognizing Miccosukee citizens’ rights to cultural and traditional practices on their historic lands. It also allows the Service to incorporate traditional and ecological knowledge into wildlife resource management,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Director Mike Oetker.
The agreement will remain in effect for five years, with both parties agreeing to renew it under similar terms every five years, totaling 25 years. At that point, the Tribe and the Service will revisit the agreement’s terms. "Co-stewardship” refers to collaborative or cooperative arrangements between the Department of the Interior bureaus and offices and Tribes and Native Hawaiian Organizations related to shared interests in managing, conserving, and preserving Federal lands and waters.
About the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida. The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida is a federally recognized Tribal nation based in the Everglades. The Tribe has remained in the Everglades since fighting a four-decade-long war to avoid removal west of the Mississippi River. The Tribe operates various enterprises, including Miccosukee Casino & Resort, Miccosukee Golf & Country Club, Miccosukee Indian Village, and Little Trail Casino located at the Miccosukee Service Plaza.
About the National Wildlife Refuge System. The Refuge System is an unparalleled network of 573 national wildlife refuges and 38 wetland management districts. There is a national wildlife refuge national wildlife refuge
A national wildlife refuge is typically a contiguous area of land and water managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the conservation and, where appropriate, restoration of fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.
Learn more about national wildlife refuge within an hour’s drive of most major metropolitan areas – hosting some 69 million visits yearly – almost all offering free admittance year-round. National wildlife refuges provide vital habitat for thousands of species and access to world-class recreation, from fishing, hunting and boating to nature watching, photography, and environmental education.
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