Chairperson Fawn C. Murphy shakes hand with Steve Mietz, Redwood National and State Parks Superintendent and Victor Bjelajac, California State Parks North Coast Redwoods District Superintendent. | Courtesy Redwood National and State Parks

From Redwood National and State Parks and the Resighini Rancheria:

Klamath, Calif. – The Tribal Council of the Resighini Rancheria, the National Park Service, and California State Parks at Redwood National Park and State Parks (RNSP) signed a historic General Agreement on Wednesday, April 26th, 2023. The General Agreement is the first of its kind among the National Park Service, California State Parks, and the Tribe and paves the way for collaboration and partnership on projects aimed to protect natural and cultural resources. “The Tribe looks forward to continuing to build a strong partnership with Redwood National and State Parks,” said Fawn C. Murphy, Resighini Rancheria’s Chairperson. “We’ve come a long way and appreciate the acknowledgment through this Agreement of the Tribe’s responsibility to take care of our ancestral lands and waters as Yurok people, and to have a voice to do so.” 

The Agreement places special emphasis on working together on cultural matters including the protection of Yurok cultural sites and resources; Traditional Cultural Properties; landscapes and preserves; identification and protection of Tribal Cultural Resources as defined in California Public Resources Code; the exchange of information regarding Yurok culture and Yurok cultural sites; and the Tribe’s participation in RNSP interpretive and education programs that pertain to Yurok culture. Other aspects of the Agreement include meeting twice a year through government-to-government consultations and creating opportunities to work cooperatively on economic development and park management projects that will benefit both RNSP and the Tribe. 

"The park looks forward to this new opportunity build upon past successes and deepen our relationship with the Resighini Rancheria through this formal agreement," said Steve Mietz, Superintendent of Redwood National and State Parks. Victor Bjelajac, California State Parks, North Coast Redwoods District also added, “We are honored to enter into a government-to-government agreement with the Resighini Tribe. It formalizes cooperative relationships and collective resource protection goals we have been developing together for years”. 

Resighini Rancheria is a Federally recognized Tribe of Yurok people and a partner in the Tribal Marine Stewards Network (TMSN), which aims to return stewardship and management of ocean and coastal territories to California Tribes.

SHARE →