Nez Perce Territory

Conservation Ethics

Nez Perce Department of Natural Resources

Nez Perce Perspectives

Conservation Ethics

To further their stewardship of the land the Nez Perce Tribe has entered into numerous Memorandums of Understanding [MOUs] with state and federal agencies. The agreements enable tribal employees to carry out environmental protection programs across the entire 1855 treaty area, while at the same time provide federal agencies an effective way to carry out some of their most difficult assignments.

In these agreements, the tribe provides a specific service in exchange for a fee from the sponsoring federal agency. MOUs have led to the restoration of tribal fishing, hunting, and camping privileges in state and federal forests on ancestral Nez Perce lands. They have also created a dialogue between the tribe and government on how best to regulate land use and wildlife habitats. Through these contracts, the Nez Perce have fulfilled their obligations to the local environment and built bridges to the local non-Indian community.

Wildlife Mitigation Agreement for Dworshak Dam, the Bonneville Power Administration, and the State of Idaho, 1992.