Member Tribes of the Bering Sea Interior Tribal Commission signed a historic Mutual Agreement with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), officially creating the Bering Sea Interior Tribal Conservation District (BSITCD), on October 1, 2026 during a signing ceremony at the Egan Convention Center in Anchorage, Alaska.
The signing ceremony marks a major milestone for sovereign Tribal nations to advance natural resource conservation and collaborative stewardship in the Bering Sea Interior region.
The Mutual Agreement unites a robust coalition of member Tribes across the Yukon, Kuskokwim, and Bering Sea regions as partners with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to set local conservation priorities and ensure the sustainability of natural resources for subsistence. This partnership will allow both parties to identify, develop, and provide technical, financial, and educational resources to advance mutually beneficial natural resources objectives.
“By working with the USDA, Tribes hope to work together so that our traditional ecological knowledge can guide natural resource conservation,” said Frank Katchatag, Chairman of the Bering Sea Interior Tribal Commission and the BSITCD. “Forming this Tribal Conservation District is the start of a positive collaboration with the federal government toward protecting our way of life for our children and grandchildren.”
“This Mutual Agreement recognizes the BSITCD as a vital partner. We look forward to a long, fruitful alliance rooted in mutual respect and shared stewardship,” said Alan McBee, NRCS Alaska State Conservationist. “Forming Tribal Conservation Districts is a priority for NRCS. They are a critical step to establish local conservation priorities, and they help connect Tribal landowners and USDA programs. They empower Indigenous land stewardship and food sovereignty.”
The request to form the BSITCD was introduced to the USDA in 2025, with Tribal Resolutions and a draft Mutual Agreement submitted for a series of reviews to the Office of the Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins. The Mutual Agreement was affirmed by USDA and signed by NRCS Chief Colton L. Buckley, as delegated by the Secretary of Agriculture, on May 27, 2026. The signing ceremony obtains signatures on the Mutual Agreement from all participating Tribal nations and therefore signifies completion of the document and the formal establishment of the BSITCD.
The Mutual Agreement provides a framework for both parties to advance the sustainable use of natural resources for subsistence, economic opportunity, and cultural preservation. It strengthens the nation-to-nation relationship between the USDA and participating Tribes, supports the upholding of federal trust responsibilities, and supports the integration of Indigenous knowledge into land management decisions.
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Source: nativenewsonline.net
