A New Era: 2026 Tribal Stewardship Convening and Workshop Focused on Developing Collaboration and Access Agreements

Audience(s): Tribes, non-tribal government partners, NGO partners
Tribal Stewardship Policy priorities:Strengthening Tribal Partnerships; Funding Stewardship; Navigating State Agencies
Welcome poster

Objectives: This toolkit entry highlights takeaways from the Tribal Stewardship Convening: A New Era: Strengthening Relationships for Tribal Stewardship hosted by CNRA, California Council of Land Trusts, Indigenous Futures Society, Native Americans in Philanthropy, Native American Rights Fund, Resources Legacy Fund, Rosebud Resources, and Tribal-Public Lands Alliance from June 30-July 1, 2026. This convening brought together leaders from California Native American tribes, NGO and local government partners, and philanthropy to deepen shared understanding for implementing the Tribal Stewardship Policy through collaboration and access.

This convening brought together leaders from California Native American tribes, land trusts, local, state, and federal government partners, and philanthropy to deepen shared understanding for implementing the Tribal Stewardship Policy through collaboration and access.

Over the two-day convening, participants gained deepened relationships, identified barriers for Native communities seeking to steward their ancestral territories, and collectively identified their individual roles in advancing meaningful and durable tribal stewardship.

This toolkit entry features recordings of all public sessions from the training. Review the New Era: 2026 Tribal Stewardship Convening agenda, watch the videos to hear from tribal and non-tribal leaders on advancing tribal stewardship, and engaged with the resources shared with participants throughout the two days.

New Era: 2026 Tribal Stewardship Convening Recordings and Materials:

New Era: 2026 Tribal Stewardship Convening agenda can be found here.

All panel recordings can be found here.

Welcome: Secretary Wade Crowfoot Watch Here.

Secretary Crowfoot shared the history of the Newsom Administration’s tribal affairs work, including Governor Newsom’s formal apology to California Native American tribes and the Truth & Healing Council. He invited us to contemplate how do we take this new beginning to build a new era that can be an actualized model for this state, country, and the rest of world? How can we all be better partners?

Keynote: Assemblymember James Ramos Keynote. Watch Here.

Assemblymember Ramos shared that one avenue to support tribal stewardship, and tribal leadership includes voting and civic engagement.

Panel 1: Tribal Stewardship Policy: Defining the Terms of Access and Collaboration. Watch Here.

Hear from Secretary Christina Snide-Ashtari, Office of the California Governor; Deputy Secretary Geneva E. B. Thompson, California Natural Resources Agency; Nada Wolff-Culver, Tribal-Public Lands Alliance; Kori Robertson, Native Americans in Philanthropy; and moderator Sydney Anderson. 

 

Takeaways:

  • There are many terms, and varying definitions, used to describe different kinds of tribal sovereignty, including:
    • Co-stewardship
    • Co-management
    • Co-governance
    • Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)/ Tribal Ecological Knowledge/ Indigenous Knowledge
  • How can potential funders or land trusts support tribal partnership and collaboration?
    • Participatory, trust-based grant-making removes barriers. General operating support gives tribes flexibility.
  • Tribes offer longevity and consistency that strengthens stewardship, especially compared to agencies with frequent administrative turnover.
  • Momentum and change come from being willing to make mistakes (this is new work), investing in tribal communities, and running public awareness campaigns.
  • If California had unlimited resources, what would we want from the Tribal Stewardship Policy?
    • Invest in and build up internal tribal capacity.
    • Build careers and meaningful jobs for young Native people.

Panel 2: Collaboration and Access in the Federal Context. Watch Here.

Hear from Carrie Monohan, Mooretown Rancheria of Maidu Indians; Secretary Tara Fouch-Moore, Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation; Bennae Calac, Chuckwalla Inter-Tribal Commission; Nakia Zavalla, Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians; and moderator Geneva E. B. Thompson

 

Takeaways:

  • Intergenerational commitment to being physically present on the land is helpful.
  • Know the history of the tribe’s relationship with the agency.
  • Move at the pace of trust, which can take patience when federal turnover is so quick, and few positions are permanent.
  • Understanding different types of contracts, agreements, and agency jargon.
  • Institutional knowledge on BOTH sides. This can look like:
    • Include detailed agenda notes
    • Expanding tribal relations to include leadership, beyond just the tribe and tribal liaison.

Case Studies:

Tools and Guidance Shared:

  • Advisor councils with subcommittees
  • Collaborative agreements
  • Consultation is a process
  • Cultural sensitivity/humility trainings for non-tribal entities
  • Inter-tribal coalitions & commissions
  • Leadership meetings
  • Lease agreements
  • Master service agreements
  • Master stewardship agreements
  • Profit-sharing agreements with private corporations
  • Integrating tribal co-stewardship into proclamations establishing National Monument, integrating Traditional Ecological Knowledge
  • Public Law 93-638 agreements
  • Site visits
  • Special agreements focused on tribal priorities
  • Special use permits
  • Staff training on how to implement the agreements
  • Young adult conservation corps

Keynote: Chairperson Serrell Smokey, Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California. Watch Here.

Chairperson Serrell Smokey shared many examples of the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California collaborations with the federal government.

 

Panel 3: Collaboration and Access in the State & Local Context. Watch Here.

Hear from Chairperson Joseph James, Yurok Tribe; President Rudy Ortega Jr., Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians; Buffy McQuillen, Federate Indians of Graton Rancheria; Nina Hapner, Kashia Band of Pomo Indians; Daniella Santana, Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake; and moderator Geneva E. B. Thompson.

Takeaways:

  • It can be helpful to start with a higher- level agreement, or global agreement, that outlines a plan, and then spend more time specifying and creating sub agreements, contracts, and work plans.
  • Challenge: Lacking the resources (time, money, physical building/location, staff) to fully build out plan
    • Highlights that we can practice co-management without having a formal, binding agreement. At times, the on the ground relationship is in existence well before the written agreement

Case Studies:

Tools:

  • California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) permits
  • Cultural justice
  • Establish long-term global agreements, and include additional agreements with specific topics
  • Giving tribes copies of park keys
  • History/culture in visitor centers
  • Joint-powers authority (JPAs)
  • Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) with State Parks
  • Reburial on State Parks or other State or Local public lands
  • Renaming places to address offensive and derogatory names
  • Special permits
  • Strategic plans
  • Tribal data collection
  • Tribal-led maintenance control

Keynote: Chairperson Erica Pinto, Jamul Indian Village. Watch Here.

Chairperson Erica Pinto shares her insight on the importance of Kumeyaay stewardship of the coast and Jamul Indian Village’s efforts to improve tribal access to the ocean

Takeaways:

  • Learn more about Jamul Indian Village of Kumeyaay Nation in Southern California at their website.
  • While access often associate with recreation, for tribal communities, this can include strengthening institutional memory, passing down cultural knowledge, praying, monitoring, and stewarding.
  • Co-stewardship must move beyond land, to include coastlines, waterways, bays, and ocean resources.
  • This work’s success is beyond pen and paper—it's measured in the health and wellbeing of tribal and non-tribal communities.

Panel 4: Collaboration and Access in the Land Trust Context. Watch Here.

Hear from Lena Ortega, Quechan Indian Tribe; Robert Przeklasa, Native American Land Conservancy; Angela De Palma-Dow, Lake County Land Trust; Ron Montez, Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians; and moderator Sydney Anderson.

Takeaways:

  • For Native American Land Conservancy & Quechan Indian Tribe, collaboration looked like lending expertise, supporting tribes with internal capacity building, using their own 501(c)(3) to facilitate transfer of funding to tribes
  • For Lake County Trust Land & Big Valley of Pomo Indians, collaboration looked developing memorandum of understanding or joint restoration project, including traditional ecological knowledge and cultural resources in priorities, renaming trails
  • Both established durable partnerships that were built on trust and transparency

Case Studies:

Tools:

  • Conservation Easements
  • Include Native people on staff hiring committees
  • Land transfer through private donations, estate planning, and grants
  • Land trusts support with grants
  • Memorandum of understandings for restoration projects
  • Native people on board
  • Renaming powers
  • Share communications resources

 

Conversation: Building a Tribal Stewardship Economy through Collaboration and Access. Watch Here.

Hear from Brian Wallace, Indigenous Futures Society; Chuck Striplen, Resources Legacy Fund; and moderator Geneva E. B. Thompson.

Takeaways:

  • Learn more about the Indigenous Futures Society by visiting their website.
  • Learn more about the Resources Legacy Fund by visiting their website.
  • A new era must include removing barriers to funding to support long-term co-stewardship. This includes funding sovereign infrastructure and expanding current foundations and building internal tribal capacity.
  • Philanthropy can be powerful tool to fill in gaps and support healing (e.g. policy projects, staffing, building coalitions).
  • Investing in tribal communities and economies makes a more resilient California for all.

Case Studies:

  • Indigenous Leadership Initiative | The Indigenous Leadership Initiative is dedicated to facilitating the strengthening of Indigenous Nationhood for the fulfillment of the Indigenous cultural responsibility to our lands, the emergence of new generations of Indigenous leaders, and helping communities develop the skills and capacity that they will need as they continue to become fully respected and equally treated partners in Canada’s system of governance and its economic and social growth.
  • Indigenous Guardians Toolkit | Nature United’s initiative strives to support Indigenous Guardians in Canada through the The Indigenous Guardians Technical Support Team and Toolkit to provide various types of support to Indigenous Nations who are establishing or strengthening their Guardian programs building on previous work by Nature United to support Guardian programs in Canada.

Presentations and Workshop Day

 

Presentation by Sheridan Enomoto, Redbud Resources. Watch Here.

Introduction to Redbud Resources’ Land Back Spider Graph as a tool for tribes and non-tribal entities to evaluate ancestral land return, collaboration, and access opportunities.

Tools:

  • Land Back Spider Graph by Redbud Resource Group| The Land Back Spider Graph serves as a planning tool to guide us through different Land Back projects or initiatives. By focusing on the five areas: Ownership (who owns the land); Leadership (who's leading the efforts); Stewardship (how the land is looked after); Access (who can use the land); and Consultation (talking with everyone involved), the Spider Graph lets us take a deeper look in evaluating the land back process. 
  • Allyship Spectrum | Redbud | The Allyship Spectrum helps you or your organization understand the impact of your actions and decisions on Native communities. The Spectrum also serves as a goal-setting tool that can help you and your organization create an informed plan in improving relationships with Native communities.

Presentation by Sydney Anderson, California Natural Resources Agency. Watch Here.

Introduction to CNRA’s Tribal Stewardship Policy Spectrum. Download Here.

Tools:

  • Tribal Stewardship Policy and Toolkit | The Tribal Stewardship Policy and Toolkit provides policy and resources to institutionalize durable tribal-state partnerships and to advance durable tribal access, collaboration, and ancestral land return across California. The Tribal Stewardship Policy provides standard practices to advance these partnerships in the implementation of each department’s respective missions, regulations, policies, and programs. On this website, you can explore the Policy, its appendices, and can begin navigating Toolkit entries, which feature webinars, templates, case studies, and other resources.   

     

    Presentation by Noah Lee, Native American Rights Fund. Watch Here.

    Introduction to the NARF Homelands Initiative and Advancing Tribal Sovereignty through Cooperative Agreements: Co-Stewardship Principles and Practice.

Tools:

  • Native American Rights Fund | Will be soon publishing the final version of the Handbook for Advancing Tribal Sovereignty Through Cooperative Agreements by Noah Lee shared during the Workshop.
  • University of Washington School of Law’s Sovereign-to-Sovereign Cooperative Agreements Program | Shares information on cooperative agreements and examples authorized by tribes to share publicly.

Workshop

The California Natural Resources Agency hosted a workshop during the New Era 2026 Tribal Stewardship Policy Convening focused on developing tribal collaboration and access agreements within a hypothetical landscape, tribes, non-tribal governments, and non-tribal land trust.

Takeaways:

  • Process Takeaways:
    • Understanding the jargon of different agencies and government types is a skill that takes time to build.
    • From a tribal perspective, the volume of information involved can be overwhelming.
    • Durable collaboration operates at a high level, but also depends on details, including:
      • Frequent meetings and detailed agendas
      • Cultural humility and sensitivity in meetings (e.g., offering a gift of thanks, acknowledging elders' time)

     

  • Exercise Outcome examples:
    • Higher level memorandum of understanding that detailed plan for future sub agreements and fundraising plan
    • Established joint powers agreement and board that meets monthly
    • Interagency, interjurisdictional Watershed Council
    • Cooperative agreement

Workshop Materials and Facilitation Guides:

  • The California Natural Resources Agency provided materials and facilitation guides during the Convening. We are still in the process of finalizing these materials and will upload them here.