Earlier this spring, I had the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. as part of the Tribal Advocacy Coalition organized by National Wildlife Federation (NWF). From April 13–15, I joined Merissa Dominquez of Buffalo Nations Grasslands Alliance and Kim Sager-Fradkin, wildlife biologist for the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, and Gloria Tom, Senior Strategic Policy Analyst for NWF, to advocate for Indigenous-led conservation and priorities and the future of North America’s grasslands.
Working in coordination with NWF’s National Advocacy Center, we met with House Representatives and staff members from Washington, Oklahoma, and South Dakota, as well as staff for Senator John Thune. Together, we advocated for legislation that would strengthen wildlife movement corridors, protect and restore grasslands, and support the conservation and storage of native seeds.
For me, this experience marked my first time participating in advocacy work. As an Indigenous Land Stewardship Coordinator for the Southeastern Grasslands Institute and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, I came to D.C. to speak on behalf of our native seeds and grasslands—both of which are disappearing at an alarming rate.
Native seeds are more than a conservation tool. For Indigenous communities, they are inseparable from cultural identity, traditional ecological knowledge, and our relationship with the land itself. Without healthy grasslands and resilient native seed systems, cultural lifeways tied to these landscapes are at risk of being lost.
The legislation we discussed—including the North American Grasslands Conservation Act, the Native American Seeds Act, and the American Seed and Restoration Center Establishment Act—would provide critical support for Indigenous stewardship, native seed sovereignty, and large-scale grassland restoration efforts across Turtle Island.
The message we carried to Congress was simple: twenty-five years from now will be too late. The time to invest in native seeds, wildlife connectivity, and grassland conservation is now.
Blog by Katie Smith-Easter, SGI Indigenous Land Stewardship Coordinator