Native American Fish and Wildlife Society

Native American Fish and Wildlife Society
Name	Native American Fish and Wildlife Society
Abbreviation	NAFWS
Founded	1983
Type	Nonprofit organization
Headquarters	United States
Region served	North America

Native American Fish and Wildlife Society

The Native American Fish and Wildlife Society is a nonprofit membership organization formed to support Indigenous natural resource management, tribal conservation, and wildlife protection across the United States and Canada. It provides technical assistance, policy advocacy, training, and information exchange for tribal fish and wildlife programs and works with federal agencies, regional organizations, and academic institutions to strengthen tribal sovereignty and resource stewardship. The society engages with national laws, intertribal networks, and international forums to integrate Indigenous knowledge with contemporary conservation science.

History

The society emerged in the early 1980s amid shifts in federal-tribal relations influenced by statutes and events such as the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, and policy movements exemplified by the Indian Child Welfare Act. Founders included leaders from tribes represented at gatherings linked to the Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada, the National Congress of American Indians, the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, and regional bodies such as the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission. Early conferences featured speakers from institutions like the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and drew participation from tribal nations including the Navajo Nation, the Cherokee Nation, the Yakama Nation, the Ojibwe, the Pueblo of Zuni, and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. Over time the society has interacted with legal milestones such as decisions by the United States Supreme Court, agreements like the Boldt Decision, and conservation efforts associated with the Yellowstone National Park region, the Everglades, and the Columbia River Basin.

Mission and Objectives

The society’s mission aligns with priorities articulated by tribal legislatures and resolutions passed by the National Congress of American Indians, the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona, and the Southwest Tribal Fisheries Commission. Objectives stress supporting tribal Natural Resources Conservation Service collaborations, improving capacity for implementing statutes such as the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act, and promoting indigenous stewardship paradigms recognized by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and instruments discussed at the Convention on Biological Diversity. The organization advocates for tribal co-management models seen in partnerships with the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service, and transboundary initiatives involving the Canada–United States border and the Arctic Council member entities.

Organizational Structure and Membership

The society is governed by an elected board drawn from tribal fish and wildlife directors representing regions similar to the Western Interstate Region, the Great Plains Tribal Water Alliance, and the Northeast Fish and Wildlife Commission. Membership includes tribal agencies from nations such as the Blackfeet Nation, the Lakota Sioux Tribe, the Martin's Nation, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, and the Makah Tribe, as well as associate members from academic partners like Cornell University, University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of Washington, University of Minnesota, and Oregon State University. Committees mirror structures used by the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and coordinate with entities such as the Tribal Wildlife Corridors Initiative and the Native American Agriculture Fund.

Programs and Initiatives

Programs include training curricula modeled on collaborative efforts with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries, technical workshops with the U.S. Geological Survey, and habitat restoration initiatives like those seen in the Klamath Basin and the Penobscot River Restoration Project. Initiatives address priority species and habitats—partners and case studies reference work on salmon, sage grouse, bison, sea turtles, and riparian corridors in areas managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the Bonneville Power Administration. The society administers fellowship and scholarship programs akin to offerings from the National Science Foundation tribal programs, hosts conferences comparable to the Society for Conservation Biology meetings, and develops curricula used by vocational programs such as those at the Yellowhawk Tribal College and the Iḷisaġvik College.

Partnerships and Collaborations

Collaborations span federal agencies—the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Fish and Wildlife Service—as well as intertribal consortia like the InterTribal Buffalo Council, the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, and the Tribal Wildlife Corridors Initiative. International partnerships involve delegates from the Assembly of First Nations, the Inuit Circumpolar Council, and academic centers such as the Smithsonian Institution and the National Museum of the American Indian. The society also works with conservation NGOs including the Nature Conservancy, the World Wildlife Fund, Defenders of Wildlife, and The Wilderness Society, and engages with foundations like the Ford Foundation and the Packard Foundation.

Funding and Governance

Funding streams combine tribal dues, grants from federal programs like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Tribal Wildlife Grants Program, cooperative agreements with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and philanthropy from organizations such as the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Governance follows nonprofit best practices similar to protocols used by the National Audubon Society and the Sierra Club, with audited financial reporting and compliance obligations tied to statutes like the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act and federal grant management rules administered by the Office of Management and Budget. Strategic planning processes reference guidance from think tanks such as the Brookings Institution and Indigenous policy centers including the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development.

Impact and Recognition

The society has influenced policy and on-the-ground conservation through collaborative projects recognized by awards and acknowledgments from bodies like the Department of the Interior, the Tribal Council of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and regional conservation prizes akin to honors from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Its role in capacity building is cited in studies from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and journal articles published in outlets including the Journal of Wildlife Management and Conservation Biology. The society’s work has contributed to tribal successes in restoring fisheries in the Columbia River, reintroducing bison herds on prairie reservations, and shaping cooperative management of migratory corridors recognized by interstate compacts and international accords. Category:Native American organizations