In response to concerns from tribal leaders about the vulnerability of Native American sacred sites on National Forest lands — including the decision to approve the use of treated waste water for snowmaking at a ski area on the San Francisco Peaks in Arizona — U.S. Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack last year directed the Forest Service and the USDA Office of Tribal Relations to review the effectiveness of existing laws, regulations and policies. A draft report presenting the results of that review is now open for public comment until the end of October.

The report presents the findings from more than 50 listening sessions conducted over the past year with tribal leaders, traditional practitioners, culture-keepers and unaffiliated native descendants across the country, with the aim of determining how the agency can better manage lands that include sacred sites. Forest Service employees were also surveyed.

Several key themes emerged from the listening sessions:

1. Partnering with tribes to manage sacred sites and maintaining effective communication is critical to their protection.
2. Land managers do not always take advantage of current laws and policies that could benefit the tribes.
3. Forest Service decision makers do not weigh sacred site issues equally with other interests, such as economic development and recreation.
4. Consistent on-the-ground application of available legal tools to recognize and protect sacred sites is needed.

The review team also found, among other things, that Forest Service managers would benefit from more explicit policy language regarding sacred site protection.

These findings form the basis for the report’s recommendations for procedural and policy changes, which are open for public comment until the end of October. Consultations with tribal members and other Native Americans with interest in sacred sites will continue during the public comment period.

Please take a moment to send a comment letter. You can download suggested comments here.

Public comments can be sent to:

U.S. Forest Service
Office of Tribal Relations
1400 Independence Ave., SW
Mailstop Code: 1160
Washington, DC 20250-1160

Comments also may be submitted by fax to (202) 205-1773 or e-mail to sacredsitescomment@fs.fed.us.

The Forest Service and the Office of Tribal Relations plan to submit a final report to Secretary Vilsack in November. Once the report is approved, an implementation plan will be developed.

“We hope this report will foster change in how Indian Tribes and the Forest Service interact on land management decisions for the good of all Americans,” the report states. “It is our hope that these recommendations lead to meaningful changes in the way Native American sacred sites are protected and accessed. Perhaps, just as important, they will lead to a better understanding of Native American values as American values.”