AGRICULTURE + CONSERVATIONIntertribal Agriculture Council, Las Vegas, NV December 13, 2017

Amskapi Piikani (Blackfeet)

Loren BirdRattler

Project Manager

ROADMAP

1. Blackfeet Context

2. Agricultural Resource

Management

3. University of

Arkansas/Montana State

University Partnerships on

native land and planning

4. Blackfoot Prime Beef Label

WHERE ARE WE LOCATED?

• The present reservation is located in northwest Montana,

bordered by Glacier National Park to the west and Alberta,

Canada to the north and the Bob Marshall Wilderness to the

southwest. Spanning 1.5 million acres, (just over 640,000

hectares).

• Larger than the state of Delaware and nearly twice the size

of Rhode Island (without the two Senators and one or two

Congressman) that represent both of those states

• The land elevation varies from 3,400 feet at the east end to

over 9,000 feet at Chief Mountain in the west.

• The Blackfeet Tribe acquired 324,404 acres of fractionated

interests from the Land Buy Back Program (Third installment

of the Cobell Settlement) in 2017 and is scheduled for another

round in 2018.

BLACKFEET NATURAL RESOURCES

• The Blackfeet reservation has abundant natural resources, including

forestlands, oil and gas reserves, and is home to many species of fish and wildlife.

In fact, there are more animal and plant species on the Blackfeet Reservation than

anywhere else in the lower forty eight states. Fifty five percent of Montana’s (94.1

million acres or 38,080,918 hectares) plant and animal species exist on the

Blackfeet Reservation (1.5 million acres or just over 640,000 hectares).

• More than 518 miles (833 Kilometers) of streams and 180 bodies of water,

including eight large lakes, that derive from five watersheds at the head waters of

three water systems (Columbia, Missouri, Saskatchewan) the can also be found on

the reservation.

• On April 4, 2017, the Blackfeet People passed the Blackfeet Water Compact

which defined the Blackfeet allocation for water from our five watersheds. The

Blackfeet were given 800,000 acre feet per year including rights to all surface

water including all rights to the three middle watersheds.

AGRICULTURE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

AUTHORITY: PUBLIC LAW 103-77 (THE AMERICAN INDIAN AGRICULTURE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ACT OF 1993)

Indian agricultural resource management planning

program whether developed directly by the tribe or by

the Secretary, the plan shall:

determine available agriculture resources;

identify specific tribal agricultural resource goals and objectives and

establish management objectives for the resources;

Define critical values of the Indian tribe and its members

and provide identified holistic management objectives;

identify actions to be taken to reach established objectives; be developed

through public meetings;

use the public meeting records, existing survey documents, reports, and

other research from Federal agencies, tribal community colleges, and land

grant universities; and be completed within three years of the initiation of

activity to establish the plan.

HOLISTIC APPROACH

ON BLACKFEET

• Indigenous Knowledge and

Approaches

• Conserve Biodiversity

• Establish Comprehensive

Inventory

• Improve Economic Conditions and

Political Sovereignty

• Enabling policy environment

ARMP

Iinnii (Bufallo) reintroduction

Wetlands

Human Health

Climate Risk

Economic Development

Traditional Use

Education

Infrastructure

PRE-PLANNING & PROJECT HISTORY

• The Blackfeet Agriculture Resource Management Plan

(ARMP) is a project that was created by the Blackfeet Natural

Resource Conservation District, a volunteer board established

in 1996 by the Blackfeet Tribe, by Tribal Resolution #: 1-97.

• The project was established by a Contract Agreement

between the Blackfeet Tribe and the United States Department

of Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs

• Becoming Astute to all of the Moving Parts that the

ARMP can effect within the current Tribal Government

Structure

• Benchmarking

Land Management

• Conservation

• Holistic Management Concepts

Water Management

• Implementation of the agriculture related functions of the Blackfeet Water Compact (800,000 acre feet annually, including rights to all surface water)

Agriculture, Farming, and Livestock policy

and regulation

Administration, Education, Outreach

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE BLACKFEET TRIBAL GOVERNMENT

• Sustainable Economic Development

• Private sector vs. public sector

• Tribal enterprise or service to people

• Siyeh Corporation Model

• Tribal ranches

• Agriculture enterprises

• Become Supplier for local food delivery

systems

• Schools, USDA Commodity programs,

Medicine Bear Shelter, Food Banks,

Blackfeet FAST, Senior Centers,

Traditional Food Preparers

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE BLACKFEET TRIBAL GOVERNMENT

• Health and Nutrition – Narrow Health Disparities

• Agriculture production

• Re-introduction of traditional foods into our diets

• Buffalo

• Wild game

• Berries

• Other foods

• Infusion of Institutional Knowledge into our Younger

Generations

• Youth programs

• 4-H

• High School, Middle School and BCC

Agriculture Programs

BUILD NETWORKS

1. Nation-to-nation and peer-to-peer

learning is powerful

2. Similarity rather than comparative

approach

3. Hold annual summit to share best

practice

4. Curate locally grown solutions to

Indigenous land tenure and

fractionation

5. Support the work indigenous

planning practitioners

Pre-contact Indigenous traditional territories of North America

and settler state boundaries. Courtesy of Aaron Carapella

NEXT STEPS FOR BLACKFOOT CONFEDERACY

• Confederacy Beef Label (Blackfoot Prime)

• Become supplier to Niche Market

• Innovative Ways for Duty Free Transportation

• International Export Flexibility

• Confederacy Border Crossing

• Truth and Reconciliation Commission

• Recommendations for J Treaty Acceptance in by Canadian Government

• Other strategies

• Indian Claims Commission – Blood Tribe Big Claim Inquiry

• Other Claims by Siksika and Piikani

• Other Efforts Identified During Report Out

NECESSARY PARTNERSHIPS

• University of Arkansas School of Law

• Indigenous Agriculture and Food Initiative (IAFI)

• FTE to coordinate food sovereignty efforts

• Develop necessary food policy (food code)

• Define safety standards for commercial

agriculture production

• Supply local businesses

• Supply local school districts

• Supply USDA commodities program

• Supply other food delivery systems

NECESSARY PARTNERSHIPS

• Montana State University

• Indigenous Land Tenure Project

• Unravel jurisdictional and practical complexities to trust land management

• Indigenous Research Methodologies

• Research – Protocol and Blackfeet Tribal Priority List

• International Borders

• A Spatial Analysis of Human Development and Indian Land Tenure (Connection between

human development indicators and land tenure)

• Fractionation, Consolidation and Indigenous Planning Responses in Blackfeet Country

• Principles of Blackfeet Conservation

• Health and Human Development

• Diversify agriculture profile

• Pulse Crops, Produce, Other Cash Crops, Other high vitamin, low starch

foods

• Agriculture and Agriculture Economics

• USDA eligibility requirements

• Agriculture economics and impacts to local economy

NECESSARY PARTNERSHIPS

• University of Guelph (Ontario) or another Canadian

Higher Education Institution(s)

• ICCA

• Blackfoot Confederacy Protected Area

• Canadian Conservation Summit

• NGO’s

• The Nature Conservancy

• United States

• Canada

• Western Conservation Society

• Identify Others

• Other Native Organizations

• Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders

• Other Tribes with Holistic Management Plans

Stakeholder

Map

• Amskapi

Pikuni People

• Blackfeet

Business

Council

• Blackfeet

ARMP

• Blackfeet

Community

College

• Blackfeet LED

team

Local Regional

National

• Pondera, Glacier county govts.

• Alberta provincial govt.

• Montana stockgrowers assoc.

• Alberta stockgrowers assoc.

• Kainai, Siksika & Piikani nations

• Related Stockgrower assocs.

• Participating municipalities

Super-

Local

• US/Canada trade,

& law and policy

bodies

Who: Blackfeet Nation, 17,321 strong

Governing Body: Blackfeet Tribal Business Council

Blackfoot Confederacy: Amskapi Pikuni, Kainai, Siksika, Aputsi Pikuni (N.

Piegan)

Where: Backbone of the World (Rocky Mountain Front)

Blackfeet reservation 3,000 sq. miles

Brief: Jay Treaty, 1794

The British North America Act, July 1st, 1867

Article 3 of the Jay Treaty

International Boundary Survey, 1872-1876

Border Issues – Cultural, Spiritual, Familial, Economic

and Governance. SOVEREIGNTY.

UNDRIP – May 10th, 2016

TRC – June 1, 2008 – June 3, 2015

R e i m a g i n e * N a t i o nHistorical Context: Key Considerations

Driving force of plan: Sovereignty, ↑ Wages, ↓ Poverty

Blackfeet Reservation

Kainai Reserve

Siksika Reserve

Piikani Reserve

Canada

Key: Blackfoot Confederacy Municipalities (Browning, Cardston,

Brocket)

Great Falls, USA

Lethbridge, CAN

Del Bonita Border Crossing

E

E

W

East/West Orientation

©1996-2015 EPI, Inc.

Current

Project

Develop-

Mental

Phase.

Driving force of values: People & Place

Current Objectives:

1. Recover Blackfeet economic sovereignty

2. Increase number of good jobs*

3. Expand local business revenue

4. Improve border mobility** for Blackfoot Confederacy*A good job would be one that pays equal to the market norm statewide.

**Border mobility would be considered improved when Blackfeet Nation

assumes co-management of Del Bonita border crossing. (Minimum)

Catagory Action # Action Name Timing/Priority Who is involved?

Action 1 Grass Fed Cattle Finishing Pilot Quick Start 1. ARMP

2. Cattle

producers on

each reserve.

Action 2 Assemble Del Bonita Research Team Short Term 1. Blackfeet

Tribal Business

Council

Action 3 Create Job Training Program at BCC Short Term 1. BCC

2. ARMP

3. Blackfeet LED

Action 4 Initiate Exploratory Committee for Medium Term 1. Blackfeet

Blackfoot Economic Region and Create a Tribal Business

Cooperative Council

Recommended

Actions:

Next Steps:

1. Ground work for Grass Fed Cattle Finishing Pilot

2. Competition and Collaboration analysis

3. Markets and Supply Chain analysis

4. Economic Leakage analysis

Related to Grass Fed Finished Cattle Pilot Project:

Related to Job Training Program at BCC:

1. Approach BCC Workforce Development Dept for

initial approval/partnering

2. Assemble work group from ARMP, Blackfeet LED,

and BCC; begin initial development of courses

3. Create agriculture and agriculture economics

discipline at Blackfeet Community College

Next Steps Continued:

Related to Del Bonita Border Crossing:

1. Identify possible possible research team members

2. Approach and ascertain interest

Related to Blackfoot Region Economic Exploratory Committee:

1. Identify key tribal planners for each nation for feedback on

interest/reality of a special Confederacy wide economic region

Works Cited:

Plan Overview, blackfeetarmp.com/plan-overview, 2017. Cite accessed 28 Nov 2017.

“United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples For Indigenous Peoples.” \United Nations

website

www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/declaration-on-the-rights-of-indigenous-peoples.html Cite

accessed 16 Nov 2017.

Fontaine, Tim. “Canada now full supporter of UN Indigenous rights declaration.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio

Canada, 2 Aug. 2016, www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/canada-adopting-implementing-un-rights-declaration-

1.3575272. Cite accessed 5 Dec 2017

The Jay Treaty; November 19, 1794; Yale Law School Website

http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/jay.asp Cite accessed 16 Nov 2017.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Final Report 2015; TRC website

http://www.trc.ca/websites/trcinstitution/File/2015/Findings/Exec_Summary_2015_05_31_web_o.pdf Cite

accessed 16 Nov 2017.

THANK YOUINTERTRIBAL AGRICULTURE COUNCIL

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS SCHOOL OF LAW MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY