The Case for Returning U.S. #PublicLands to #IndigenousPeople

by Joe Whittle, Mar 6, 2025

"Since the start of Trump’s second term, his administration has fired thousands of federal workers across multiple public lands agencies, including the National Park Service, the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The effects of this are vast: It’s going to have a profoundly negative impact on the environment and the way millions of Americans enjoy public lands, cause immeasurable harm to America’s wildest places, and devastate the economies built around them.

"After serving 12 years as a backcountry wilderness ranger for the U.S. Forest Service, I'm convinced there is an alternative: the U.S. needs to return its public lands to Native Americans. In fact, I believe that might be the only way to save our parks and forests from corporate privatization and destruction, as well as preserve public access to them. If the U.S. won’t properly care for its public lands, why not return them to their original caretakers?

"This isn’t a new idea. #NativeAmericans argued that treaty law required
'abandoned' federal land to be returned to tribes during the occupation of #Alcatraz Island by the #AmericanIndianMovement in the 1960s. In more recent years, the #LandbackMovement has given rise to increased calls for the return of territorial land to #IndigenousNations, and the return of land management based in #TraditionalEcologicalKnowledge—expertise gathered from thousands of years of having deep relationships with specific environments. There’s a strong legal argument that land return is constitutionally required as damages due for hundreds of treaty violations. However, there’s also a lot of data showing Indigenous land management is more ecologically sound than government or industrially managed land. For instance, #ProjectDrawdown, a global leader in science-based #ClimateChange solutions, estimates that returning 1,000 million hectares of land to Indigenous tenureship by 2050 would sequester over 12 gigatons of carbon dioxide."

Read more:
https://time.com/7262838/us-public-lands-return-indigenous-people/

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/QnF32

#LandBack #AIM #StolenLand #StolenLands #NationalParks #TEK #ClimateCrisis #ClimateSolutions #IndigenousPeoples #IndigenousPeoplesMonth #GiveItBack #Stewardship #LandIsLife #WaterIsLife #AlcatrazIsland #Resistance #USPol #TrumpSucks #RespectTheTreaties

A rainbow arches over San Francisco, seen from Alcatraz Island, showcasing the city's skyline and natural beauty.

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https://jrtphotography.com/featured/rainbow-over-san-francisco-from-alcatraz-2-john-twynam.html

A rainbow arches over San Francisco, seen from Alcatraz Island, showcasing the city's skyline and natural beauty.

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https://jrtphotography.com/featured/rainbow-over-san-francisco-from-alcatraz-1-john-twynam.html

Alcatraz Island at sunset viewed from Fisherman's Wharf, offering a stunning and iconic view of San Francisco Bay.

#BuyIntoArt #AlcatrazIsland #SanFrancisco #Alcatraz #Sunset #California

https://john-twynam.pixels.com/featured/alcatraz-at-sunset-from-fishermans-wharf-john-twynam.html

Alcatraz Island at dusk, silhouetted against a vibrant sunset over the San Francisco Bay, reflects its historic intrigue.

#BuyIntoArt #AlcatrazIsland #SanFrancisco #Alcatraz #Dusk #California #sunset #historic

https://john-twynam.pixels.com/featured/alcatraz-at-dusk-john-twynam.html

Alcatraz Island, a historic landmark in San Francisco Bay, known for its notorious prison and scenic views.

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https://john-twynam.pixels.com/featured/alcatraz-island-in-san-francisco-bay-2-john-twynam.html