Yurok Lands Act introduced by Huffman

September 28, 2017

Compiled from a Yurok Tribe press release:

North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) introduced the Yurok Lands Act, a pivotal piece of legislation that tribal officials said aims to strengthen self-governance and sovereignty and improve tribal infrastructure.

“The Yurok Tribe would like to sincerely thank Congressman Huffman for his commitment to serving all residents of the North Coast,” said Thomas P. O’Rourke Sr., Chairman of the Yurok Tribe. “This bill serves to support our independence and continued success as a thriving Tribal nation.”

“The revised Yurok Lands Act will help to realize past commitments made by Congress to the Yurok Tribe,” said Rep. Huffman. “The legislation will provide a reservation that serves the tribe’s interests, and give the tribe a role in land management decisions that affect the tribe. The legislation strikes a careful balance to resolve longstanding management challenges: meeting many of the Yurok’s objectives, while preserving the rights of neighboring tribes and local interests.”

The Yurok Lands Act accomplished the following:

  • Transfers into trust for the tribe the Yurok Experimental Forest, a parcel comprised of 1,229 acres of U.S. Forest Service land;
  • Redraws the reservation boundary line to encompass the Yurok Experimental Forest, recently purchased fee land and a U.S. Forest Service property in proximity to the Blue Creek watershed, one of the Tribe’s most sacred areas;
  • Positions the Yurok Tribe to directly participate in federal land management decisions within the revised Yurok Reservation;
  • Mandates federal land management agencies to consult with the tribe before major actions on federal land that may affect the amended Yurok Reservation boundary;
  • Affirms the Yurok’s governing documents to strengthen tribal governance and sovereignty;
  • Preserves the rights of neighboring tribes and local interests by ensuring there is no delegation of federal authority to the Yurok beyond the expanded reservation, and specifying that nothing in it affects any other federally recognized tribe.

The Yurok Lands Act is cosponsored by Reps. Norma Torres (D-CA) and Tom Cole (R-OK).