Aquatic Invasive Species and Appropriate Inclusion: Hard Lessons from the Field
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EmailMichigan has a plan to address and prevent the harmful impacts of aquatic invasive species on its waters. And if you guessed that it’s time to update the plan again, you are right.
HERE'S THE BACKGROUND NEEDED TO TELL THIS STORY: Michigan has a plan to address and prevent the harmful impacts of aquatic invasive species on its waters. It was created in 1996 and updated in 2002 and 2013. You can probably guess where this story is headed. And if you guessed that it’s time to update the plan again, you are right.
Earlier this year, NCI worked with an interdepartmental agency group to collect input on Michigan’s Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Management Plan from key external stakeholders through a series of focus groups.
We developed a list of stakeholders that could provide valuable input for the plan update and this list was circulated among the agency groups. Thankfully these agency groups have tribal liaisons to consult and coordinate with on various projects such as this. Our list caught their attention.
HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TRIBES IN MICHIGAN: There are 12 federally-acknowledged Indian tribes. According to a State of Michigan website, “Federally-acknowledged tribes are not merely organizations of citizens who happen to be of Native American descent. Rather, they are sovereign governments that exercise direct jurisdiction over their members and territory and, under some circumstances, over other citizens as well.” For more information on understanding Tribal sovereignty, please see Emily’s article here.
HERE'S THE HARD LESSON: Our list caught the tribal liaison’s attention because we had treated the tribes as stakeholders, not as the sovereign nations that they are. According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, a federally recognized tribe is recognized as having government-to-government relationship with the U.S..
Rather than simply adding them to our list of groups to connect with, the interdepartmental agency group paused the project and in consultation with the tribal liaisons talked with the tribes about whether a formal consultation process needed to occur. Other examples of Tribes entering into government-to-government agreements in Michigan include the Chippewa Ottawa Resource Act (state and 5 tribes), internal constitutions, and treaty rights for hunting, fishing, and gathering. The tribes decided that it did not need a formal process, and our project moved forward, but with an important distinction—the tribal focus groups occurred first and based on their input the rest of the project was planned from there.
The interdepartmental group got the information they needed to update the plan and the project was completed. But this lesson lives on and we hope it can inform your work too. It reminds us that we often operate on autopilot and autopilot can be hurtful, disrespectful, and dangerous for persons of difference. It was a reminder to take time to take the autopilot off and look around, slowly and intentionally.
At this time of year when it seems like all facets of our lives are ramping up, we tell this story in the hope that it reminds someone to go slow on purpose.
