The Advancing Communities Foundation supports American Indian / Alaska Native communities through Educational Attainment, Environmental Stewardship, Public Health and Leadership Development. Their vision is to bridge the gap between local traditional environmental knowledge and credentialed professionals in order to achieve community goals through community participation.
Alaska Community Action on Toxics has been advocating for environmental health and justice issues locally with communities, statewide, nationally, and internationally. We provide communities the scientific tools and training needed to advocate for their health and wellbeing. In Seward Alaska, we coordinated the Bucket Brigade which utilizes air quality monitoring by local citizens to prove impacts from coal loading activities
ALASKA’S BIG VILLAGE NETWORK’S (ABVN) MISSION IS TO CREATE COMMUNITIES OF INCLUSION OF INDIGENOUS AND NON-INDIGENOUS PEOPLES FOR THE HEALTH OF ALL PEOPLES’ MENTAL, SOCIAL, PHYSICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING APPLYING ANCESTRAL WISDOM OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ HONOR, RESPECT AND DIGNITY OF THE WHOLE LIVING AND NON-LIVING UNIVERSE.
Social justice coalition of environmental, antipoverty, church, organized labour, women’s groups and interested individuals. Mining focus dependent on interest of members and availability of resources but largely focused on mining policy, economic rent, closure and reclamation.
The Amah Mutsun Land Trust was developed in 2012 to help the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band access ancestral lands, protect sacred sites, and regain the role as environmental stewards of their traditional territory. The Amah Mutsun Land Trust uses traditional knowledge, conservation fieldwork, and tribally-led ecological research to restore indigenous stewardship, protect natural and cultural resources, and educate the public about the history, perspectives, and stewardship priorities of their people. They work with a powerful array of conservation, government, and university partners to achieve shared conservation goals within traditional territory.
Amigos Bravos is a nationally recognized statewide river conservation organization guided by social justice principles and dedicated to preserving and restoring the ecological and cultural integrity of New Mexico’s rivers and watersheds. Our mission is to return New Mexico’s rivers to drinkable quality wherever possible; to see that natural flows are maintained and that artificial flows are regulated to protect and reclaim river ecosystems; to preserve and restore native riparian biodiversity; to support environmentally sound and sustainable traditional ways of life; and to ensure that environmental and social justice go hand-in-hand.
Amnesty International works to protect the rights of individuals and communities threatened by the operations of multinational corporations. The organization calls for the prevention of abuses, accountability of companies, remedies for those who have been abused, and protection of rights across borders when companies operate internationally.
Apache Stronghold is working to protect religious freedom and sacred sites at Apache Leap and Oak Flat from Rio Tinto’s Resolution Copper Project. Walk to Save Oak Flat was founded in 2015 to raise awareness and opposition to the proposal.
Barriere Lake Solidarity has been working with the Algonquins of Barriere Lake since 2008. The Algonquins of Barriere Lake are a First Nation who hunt, fish, trap, and harvest on more than 10,000 square kilometers in Quebec. Barriere Lake Solidarity acts in support of efforts that are led by community members in the protection of their territory and the well-being of their community. They assist the community in opposing mining on their territory, as well as in asserting a decisive role in determining what forestry takes place. They also have assisted the community in recent years in resisting government intervention in the community’s governance process.
Black Mesa Water Coalition is dedicated to preserving and protecting Mother Earth and the integrity of Indigenous Peoples’ cultures, with the vision of building sustainable and healthy communities. BMWC was formed in 2001 by a group of young inter-tribal, inter-ethnic people dedicated to addressing issues of water depletion, natural resource exploitation, and health promotion within Navajo and Hopi communities. Over our past 10 years BMWC has transformed from a small student group to a well-established organization that is a recognized leader in energy and environmental justice issues across the southwest and the country.
CIEA was founded in 2006 to address mining toxins threatening physical and environmental health, and the cultural continuance of California Peoples and families. Their mission is to “protect and restore California Indian People’s cultural traditions, ancestral territories, means of subsistence and environmental health.” CIEA’s first directive was to educate pregnant women and families, to inform them that their traditional foods were contaminated. Today over 48 Tribal environmental departments and Councils advise CIEA on project goals and activities.
Established in 1971, Canadian Arctic Resources Committee is a well-respected non-partisan, public interest, research and advocacy organization. Composed of citizens committed to environmentally-responsible northern development, support for the rights of Indigenous peoples, respect for the authority of northern territorial governments and increased international co-operation in the circumpolar world, CARC has a reputation for high quality research and public policy analyses, effective public communication and advocacy, and helping to set the public policy agenda. CARC has published more than 100 books, monographs, and facilitated nationally significant conferences on the Arctic.
Although a recent graduate in doctoral studies at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, I am a long term Yukon resident and my consulting company CCSG Associates has been involved in a variety of diverse mining related projects, research, advocacy, policy and regulation development, grassroots organizing and outreach in northern, national and international contexts. I have held it as my goal to work as a translator between academia, industry, policy and community-based values to achieve substantive work that has meaning on many different levels, with my skills as a researcher on the ground and in the books with a local focus.
Established in 1995, The Cedar Tree Institute is a nonprofit organization providing services and initiating projects in the areas of mental health, religion, and the environment. It offers mental health services on an individual basis, works with faith communities and environmental groups, and is currently involved in ongoing partnerships with the US Environmental Protection Agency, the United States Forest Service, and five American Indian tribes in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
The Chilkat Indian Village is a federally recognized tribal government. The people of Klukwan live in a small, ancient, Alaska Native village positioned on the banks of the Chilkat River in Southeast Alaska. Klukwan is located twenty-two miles north of Haines, Alaska and is on the Haines Highway with connections to Haines, Haines Junction, Anchorage, Fairbanks, Canada, and the Continental United States. The name Klukwan is taken from the Tlingit phrase “Tlakw Aan” which literally means “Ancient Village.” As of the census of 2000, there were 139 people, 44 households, and 31 families.
Children of the Taku Society (COTTS) is a volunteer non-profit society based out of the Yukon. Many of the members live in the heart of Taku River Tlingit First Nation (TRTFN) traditional territory, in or near Atlin, B.C. Children of the Taku have joined with Taku River Tlingit First Nation to restore and protect the culture, traditions and heritage of the TRTFN in traditional territory. COTTS works with TRTFN leadership and citizens to protect the benefits, health, productivity and integrity of their traditional territory for future generations.
Clayoquot Action is a Tofino-based conservation society committed to protecting the biocultural diversity of Clayoquot Sound. Their goals are accomplished through public education, citizen research and monitoring, and advocacy. Clayoquot Action stands for democratic rights, indigenous rights and the rights of Mother Earth. Their vision is to keep Clayoquot Sound clean and green for future generations, to preserve the diversity and integrity of the ecosystems, and to maintain and develop community and cultural richness.
The Committee for Future Generations was founded in 2011 by a group of citizens concerned that northern Saskatchewan communities are being aggressively targeted by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization to store Canada’s nuclear waste.
Concerned Citizens & Retired Miners is a grassroots group of citizens who reside in Superior, AZ or are affiliated with relatives who are residents; are retired hard-rock miners who previously worked in the now non-operational mine in Superior, AZ and were displaced; or are individuals concerned that important public and is being conveyed to a foreign mining company for private use. Specifically, the organization opposes the federal exchange land bill that would give Oak Flat campground to Rio Tinto and BHP regardless of the findings of the NEPA analyses.
CFN has a total population of 2035. Ojibway culture. Administrates 14 programs to community. Member of Grand Council Treaty #3. Adheres to Indian Act rules & regs.
Dakota Rural Action was formed in 1987 to respond to the devastation wrought by the 1980’s farm crisis on farmers, ranchers, and rural main street businesses in South Dakota. Dakota Rural Action is a grassroots, family agriculture and conservation group that organizes South Dakotans to protect our family farmers and ranchers, natural resources and unique way of life.
Deebege Newe was founded in 2013 to support the land and indigenous people of the Great Basin. Deebege Newe has traditional Western Shoshone leadership that focus on nuclear issues as a priority. Deebege Newe has conducted two Native American Forum on Nuclear Issues with one of these being a youth forum at the University of Nevada Las Vegas Boyd Law School.
Defenders is campaigning for the cleanup of more than 3,000 abandoned, open pit uranium mines left since the 1950s, and that no new uranium mines be built anywhere. This Region has the highest cancer rates in the country.
The Dena Kayeh Institute was established in 2004 as a charitable foundation to act on behalf of the Kaska Dena, to facilitate education programs, to develop protocols, policies and practices in regards to traditional knowledge, cultural preservation and land management, and to advocate for conservation of special sites and areas within the Kaska Territory.
Earthworks is dedicated to protecting communities and the environment from the impacts of irresponsible mineral and energy development while seeking sustainable solutions. Earthworks stands for clean water, healthy communities, and corporate accountability. We’re working for solutions that protect both the Earth’s resources as well as our communities.
Lead jewelers and consumers in becoming informed activists for responsible mining, sustainable economic development and verified, ethical sources of materials used in making jewelry.
Fair Mining Collaborative joins with First Nations people and local communities in British Columbia in the quest to shape the future for families, land, water, and wildlife. They provide technical and practical assistance around the issues and impacts of mining. They spend time in communities to provide two-way knowledge sharing for strengthening local capacity to manage the full spectrum of mining concerns: mapping traditional resource inventories and raising awareness of social impacts; staking, permitting, exploration; and operation, closure and reclamation.
KAIROS, founded in 2001, is a grassroots organization based in Toronto and made up of eleven national churches and church organizations, twenty three international partner organizations, and Indigenous partner organizations in Canada. KAIROS works for Indigenous rights, ecological and social justice, and human rights in Canada and globally, relying on our strong international partnerships.
Guided by both indigenous Elders’ Traditional Knowledge and western science, the Keepers of the Athabasca (2006) are First Nations, Métis, Inuit, environmental groups, and watershed citizens working together for the protection of water, land, air, and all living things today and tomorrow in the Athabasca River watershed. Their mission is to unite the peoples of the Athabasca River and Lake Watershed to secure and protect water and watershed lands for ecological, social, cultural and community health and well being.
Keepers of the Water is an Indigenous women’s led organization guided by traditional Anishinaabekwe values and responsibilities. We work to protect the waters of the Great Lakes acting in spiritual and political ways.
The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community of the Lake Superior Band of Chippewa Indians is a federally-recognized tribal nation located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
The Kuskokwim River Watershed Council (KRWC) was created in 2009 so that tribal governments could work together towards cultivating a healthy respect for the land and water. Their mission is to maintain and promote a traditional subsistence lifestyle for the residents of the Kuskokwim River Watershed and to keep the land, water, and air unspoiled for their people and for future generations.
Founded in 1993, the LACSE is a non-profit, grassroots environmental organization of concerned tribal members and residents of Laguna and Acoma pueblos working in unity to empower their communities on the impacts of resource development, especially uranium mining, on human and cultural life. This includes the protection of sacred cultural sites and areas, including Mt. Taylor, a mountain sacred to Laguna and Acoma as well as other Indigenous peoples of New Mexico.
The Lake Babine Nation is situated on Babine Lake and surrounded by lush forests and wildlife. Their connections to this territory date back over ,1300 years. They are made up of four traditional clans: Bear, Caribou, Beaver and Frog clans. Today, the Nation consists of five communities, Woyenne, Fort Babine, Tachek, Nedo’ats and Donald’s Landing, with a population of 2,400 members. Lake Babine Nation’s mission is to ensure all members have a healthy, traditional, and prosperous future. Initiatives are rooted in the values of respect, honesty, traditional way of life, and health and wellness.
Lipan Apache Women Defense was founded in 2007 by Eloisa Garcia Tamez and Margo Tamez, who originally sought to establish Indigenous principles and protocols for enacting defense against the violent State, a no-constitution zone, and myriad violating and profiting corporations which occurred during the U.S. border wall construction (2006-2009). LAW-Defense analyzes, documents, and organizes concerted action to address the violent and illegal dispossession, and human rights violations in Konitsaiigokiyaa Nde’ — Lipan Apache homeland in the Texas-Mexico bifurcated region. On June 26, 2011, LAW Defense evolved into a major program under the Emilio Institute for Indigenous and Human Rights, located in El Calaboz Rancheria, Texas-Mexico border. This was decided upon by acclamation of the Hereditary Chief, Elders, LAW Defense founders, and the participants in the June 24-26, 2011 El Calaboz Gathering on Indigenous Peoples, Knowledge, Lands, and Human Rights.
Luutkudziiwus’ vision is the same as it has been for millennia: the land, animals, fish, plants, and people all have spirit, value, and must be shown respect in all decisions. Luutkudziiwus established cultural infrastructure on their ancestral Madii Lii territory, which is located in the Suskwa Valley, 20 km east of Hazelton, BC to stop any unauthorized government or industry activity on Madii Lii territory.
Menīkānaehkem a grassroots community organization based on the Menominee Reservation, in Northeast Wisconsin working to revitalize their communities. They have initiatives in Food Sovereignty, Culture Revitalization, Environmental Justice (Protectors of Menominee River), Youth, and Sustainability. Some of their work includes Back 40 mine resistance.
MACE is rooted in the experiences of uranium-impacted communities of the southwestern U.S. We are communities working to restore and protect the natural and cultural environment through respectfully promoting intercultural engagement among communities and institutions for the benefit of all life and future generations.
Native American Educational Technologies, Inc. began in the mid-1980’s during the Mole Lake Sokaogon Chippewa verses Exxon battle over metallic sulfide mining in the Ceded Territory of northern Wisconsin. Since 2001, they have faced many tribal preservation struggles and partnered with many tribes, non-tribal environmental groups, and rural poor to help preserve the clean air, water, land, and traditional way of life for their treaty rights protected hunting/fishing and gathering.
The Native Justice Coalition was formed in 2016 with the intent of being a platform for healing, social, and racial justice for all Native American people. They seek to provide a safe and nurturing platform for Native people based in an anti-oppression framework, and to collaborate, first and foremost, with tribal governments, Native American non-profits, and other Native American-led community organizations. Their goal is to bring resources, initiatives, and programming into tribal communities that are creative, engaging, and transformative.
Native Youth Movement was founded in 1990 in Annishinabe Territory (Winnipeg, Manitoba). Originally organized as an alternative to gang violence, the group expanded to a network of native youth throughout Canada and the US. Over the years Native Youth Movement has organized walks, runs, gatherings, community events, protests, educational workshops, forums, and youth camps; built traditional homes and harvesting camps; started a school program-Raising Leaders; and published several magazines.
Neskantaga is an Indigenous Oji-Cree community of 400 members, (formerly known as Lansdowne House) on the Attawapiskat River, and has been without safe drinking water since 1995. They are facing outside pressures from development by Canadian mining companies for a massive chromite mining and smelting project in the James Bay lowlands of Northern Ontario. Neskantaga is signatory to Treaty 9. The people still continue practicing ceremonies and the traditional pursuits of living off the land.
NMMAN is a nationally recognized collaborative effort to implement and strengthen the mine permitting and reclamation requirements of the New Mexico Mining Act. NMMAN’s mission is to be a statewide advocate for: restoration of community land and water affected by mining; enforcement of the NM Mining Act and of relevant water quality and quantity laws; and promotion of economic alternatives for mining-impacted communities.
Established in 2016, the New Mexico Social Justice Equity Institute (NMSJEI) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to change systems that perpetuate environmental health disparities related to the impacts of institutional racism and multi-generational trauma. They build the capacity and empower participating communities within the county to impact equitable policy change. The NMSJEI works to create and sustain collaborative partnerships in the Northwest Region of New Mexico as well as support a vibrant, equitable community that respects and honors all individuals.
Ontarians for a Just Accountable Mining Strategy (OJAMS) want to see a mineral strategy that sustains the environment and the resources for future generations; protects the public from the risks associated with mining, smelting and refining; heals the damage already caused by the industry; captures a fair share of the revenues generated by the industry for Ontarians and First Nations; and respects the rights of First Nations to free, prior, informed consent to development on their lands
The mission of Orutsararmiut Traditional Native Council is to promote the general welfare, enhance independence, encourage self-sufficiency/self-motivation, enhance quality of life, and preserve cultural and traditional values of the tribe, and to exercise tribal authority over resources through educational, economic, and social development opportunities.
Owe Aku,(“Bring Back the Way”) was founded in 1997 by Alex and Debra White Plume and their families. They are a grassroots social change organization dedicated to the preservation and revitalization of the Lakota Way of Life, Treaty Rights, and Human Rights. Owe Aku focuses on youth, Lakota and other Indigenous People grounded in their ancient identity and a healthy lifestyle, including leadership skills.
Protect Our Manoomin is an grassroots Anishinaabe organization. Our mission is to educate and inform on issues related to manoomin (wild rice) in regard to mining, environmental ethics, and associated treaty issues.
A project of Diné No Nukes, Nuclear Energy Information Service & Sloths Against Nuclear State, the Radiation Monitoring Project (RMP) aims to put radiation monitors into the hands of front-line communities affected by ionizing radiation and to provide professional training to accurately collect radiation readings in areas of concern.
The “Regroupement Vigilance Mines de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue (REVIMAT)” was founded in 2015. They include six regional organizational members of REVIMAT, and multiple external partners with whom they collaborate, including Indigenous communities or organizations. REVIMAT is very concerned about the proliferation of mining projects, especially the new form of large-scale, low-grade projects close to inhabited and / or sensitive environments, including Indigenous communities. Their mission is to bring these issues to the public attention and to elected representatives.
RAVEN was founded in 2009, and is the only non-profit charitable organization in Canada that provides legal defense funds to Indigenous People to curtail unsustainable industrial development and drive systemic change. Through their public education programs, RAVEN collaborates with Indigenous Peoples to eliminate environmental racism and foster a greater understanding of indigenous rights and governance.
Rivers Without Borders has been striving to protect the wild intact watersheds and rich ecological and cultural values of the British Columbia-Alaska transboundary region since 1999. We engage First Nations, commercial fishermen, scientists, environmental organizations, government, community leaders, media, and others to advance our conservation vision for this vast, remote, and spectacular area.
Founded in 2015, Salmon Beyond Borders is an initiative that works to protect salmon habitat and promote policies that will guarantee that the Pacific Northwest remains home to the world’s largest, healthiest and most abundant wild salmon runs, which provide culture, food, income, employment and recreation to Alaskans, British Columbians and the rest of the world.
We stand is solidarity with all Indigenous Land and Freedom Fighters throughout the World, to rid our Earth of mining and all destruction. We need clean water to live, we must live our original ways with the Earth and we will survive.
SEACC have been fighting to retain the wild places and natural values of the Tongass National Forest and promoting community sustainability for over 40 years.
The Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission (SEITC) is a consortium of 15 sovereign Tribal nations located in Southeast Alaska. Established in 2014, SEITC seeks to protect the vital and sacred rivers that sustain their communities and culture. The consortium also is working to change the dialog from how we can mine the Sacred Headwaters to should we mine the Sacred Headwaters by leveraging the unified voice of over 100,000 Tribal citizens to demand their rights under the United Nations Declaration of Indigenous Rights.
The Stk’emlúpsemc te Secwépemc is a geopolitical governance group of the Secwépemc Nation, situated in the Secwépemc Traditional Territory around Kamloops Lake, British Columbia (BC). The Stk’emlúpsemc te Secwépemc includes and is principally comprised of Secwépemc persons who are members of the Skeetchestn Indian Band and the Tk’emlúps Indian Band and are referred to as “Stk’emlúpsemc te Secwépemc” or “SSN”. In accordance with Secwépemc laws, customs, and traditions, members of the Stk’emlúpsemc te Secwépemc are the caretakers and stewards, who own, care for, and are responsible for the protection and management of that part of Stk’emlúpsemc te Secwepemcúl’ecw (Secwépemc Traditional Territory) that includes Pípsell and the land that surrounds it.
The Taku River Tlingit First Nation is located in Atlin, BC, a small remote community of approximately 400 people. The Taku River Tlingit are moving forward as the responsible decision makers of their land and waters within their Territory, which covers over 40,000 sq/km and includes what is now known as British Columbia, Yukon and Alaska/US. As responsible decision makers, they are embarking on a course necessary to ensure the preservation of their wildlife and fisheries to ensure the preservation of what is Tlingit.
The Native Conservancy was formed in 2003 and focused on purchasing conservation easements on the 12,000 acre Bering River Coalfields and Chugach Alaska Corporation’s (CAC) 73,000 Alaska Native Claim Settlement Act (ANCSA, 1971) inholdings in the adjacent Carbon Mountain Region so they will never be mined. The mission of the Native Conservancy Land Trust is to support Indigenous people’s efforts to preserve, repatriate and restore ancestral lands through the establishment of Indigenous land conservation trusts on sacred lands and waters that are inherent to the protection and perseverance of sovereignty, subsistence, spirituality and Native culture.
Established in 2007, Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation envisions a liberated Lakota Nation through Lakota language, culture, and spirituality. They work to empower Lakota youth and families to improve their health, culture, and environment.
To Nizhoni Ani was founded in 2001. The organization was established in response to Peabody Coal Company’s excessive drawdown and waste of the only potable water source the Navajo people have on Black Mesa. To Nizhoni Ani works with organizations and local leadership in a number of campaigns to end Navajo Nations dependency on fossil fuel as well as promote sustainability and traditional lifestyle of Black Mesa. They organize through horse rides, non-violent actions and intense community education.
Tu k’eni Dene began in 2014 as the Dene Trappers Alliance when they organized and took action to block the road to industrial traffic that was inundating their traditional trapping areas to explore for uranium. Tu k’eni Dene is led by the Denesuline who are the primary people who have lived and loved the land and waterways for eons and who face the impacts that a uranium mine would place upon them.
Unist’ot’en Camp was formed in July of 2010, when the Unist’ot’en clan of the Wet’suwet’en people established an encampment in the pathway of a proposed energy corridor of four oil and gas pipeline projects.The camp is 60 Km outside of “Houston BC.”The main goal of the Unist’ot’en Camp is to re-establish indigenous governance over Wet’suwet’en territory and protect it from several proposals to construct oil and gas pipelines. By occupying the land and using their hereditary leadership system to protect it, the Unist’ot’en also hope to inspire similar actions from other Indigenous Nations and their allies.
United Tribes of Bristol Bay (UTBB) was founded in 2013 by six Bristol Bay tribes and has since grown to represent fifteen tribal governments in the region. UTBB’s member tribes represent over eighty percent of the population of the Yup’ik, Dena’ina, and Alutiiq indigenous communities in Bristol Bay. UTBB’s mission is to protect the lands and waters that support the traditional way of life of Bristol Bay’s indigenous people, which are currently under threat by the proposed large-scale, hard rock metallic-sulfide Pebble Mine.
The Upper Similkameen Indian Band is a First Nations band government, with overall membership at 213 members, in the Canadian province of British Columbia, whose head offices are located in town of Hedley in the Similkameen Country. In recent years, the Upper Similkameen has increasingly become involved in the business community and has become one of the largest employers in the area.
Utah Diné Bikéyah’s mission is to: “Preserve and protect the cultural and natural resources of ancestral Native American lands to benefit and bring healing to people and the Earth.”
Voices of the Sacred was founded in 2015 in response to the White House Generation Indigenous Youth Challenge. Founder, Krystal Two Bulls and partners from True Pride Music collaborated with youth from Pine Ridge, South Dakota and Lame Deer and Missoula, Montana to host a Gen-I Challenge event that would address issues that Native youth face on a daily basis both on and off the reservation.
The Western Environmental Law Center is a non-profit public interest law firm that works to protect and restore western wildlands and advocates for healthy environments on behalf of communities throughout the West. WELC is using the power of the law to phase out coal mining in the American West.
Western Nebraska Resources Council (WNRC) was founded in 1982 at the inception of the Crow Butte mine and has opposed the mine continuously since that time. WNRC is responsible for grassroots organizing, and coalition building among indigenous and non-indigenous residents, activists, lawyers, scientific experts, the Oglala Sioux Tribe, and interested NGOs. WNRC is also active in protecting the environment in and around Western Nebraska and has non-uranium efforts related to protecting the Sand Hills and opposing the KXL Pipeline.
The Wisconsin Resources Protection Council seeks to educate the public about the consequences of allowing international mining corporations to develop a new mining district in northern Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota.
Wrangell Cooperative Association (WCA) is a federally recognized tribe with over 600 tribal members. WCA was formed in 1938 as part of the Indian Reorganization Act. WCA is determined to protect their natural resources from the potential disastrous effects of the mining at the headwaters of their rivers in S.E. Alaska.
Xeni Gwet’in First Nations Government (formaerly known as Nemiah Valley Indian Band) is located 170 kilometres west of Williams Lake, British Columbia. The Xeni Gwet’in First Nations Government will work towards self-governance through unity, respect, trust and pride of our Tsilhqot’in heritage, language and culture. They work to ensure a healthy environment to preserve their natural resources while becoming economically sustainable for generations to come.
Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council (YRITWC) is an indigenous grassroots non-profit organization established in 1997. The YRITWC was created by Indigenous leaders who were concerned about safeguarding and cleaning-up the Yukon River Watershed (YRW). It is a coalition comprised of 74 Indigenous governments in Canada and Alaska with the 50-year vision ‘To be able to drink water directly from the Yukon River’. The YRITWC is an entity that coordinates efforts to protect, clean and maintain the health of the Yukon River and its diverse peoples.
“We are part of the land. The land is part of us.” Yunesit’in Government (YG) is an Indigenous government located about 105 km west of Williams Lake, BC, and is one of the six communities that comprise the Tsilhqot’in Nation. It is the governing and administrative body of the Yunesit’in community, which includes social, health, land, and housing departments, a school for kindergarten to grade 8, a youth centre, a daycare, solid waste management and economic development – its primary goal is to serve the community’s needs. YG works in collaboration with the neighbouring Xeni Gwet’in First Nations Government (another Tsilhqot’in community) on the Dasiqox Tribal Park, an Indigenous-led conservation area for land, water and wildlife located in their shared caretaker areas.