The National Native American Program Coordinator, associated staff, and regional Native American Liaisons, combine their backgrounds in wildlife biology, natural resource conservation, subsistence rights, treaty rights, cross-cultural communication, Indian law and federal policy to achieve conservation goals to benefit Indian Country and the public.
The federal government has a unique distinct political relationship with federally- recognized Indian Tribes. The relationship is defined by treaties, statutes, executive orders, judicial decisions, and agreements that set our relationships with Indian Tribal governments in priority, as with state and sovereign nations and foreign governments.
This federal trust responsibility to Tribes consists of legal responsibilities and obligations the United States must deliver for Indian Tribes. This sets the federal governments fiduciary role with respect to Indian lands, Tribal trust resources and the exercise of Tribal rights reserved through treaties.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is a bureau of the Department of the Interior. And as a representative of the federal government and a steward of our country's natural resources, and our responsibility to manage these natural resources in a way that:
- reflects our federal trust responsibility toward Tribes
- respects Tribal rights
- acknowledges the treaty obligations of the United States toward Tribes
- uses the government-to-government relationship in coordinating with Tribes
- protects natural resources that the federal government holds in trust for Tribes.