Tribal Management of Natural and Energy Resources (Presented by The Federal Bar Association Annual Meeting & Convention 2025 sponsor Lockridge Grindal Nauen PLLP)

This session explores the legal frameworks that affirm tribal rights to manage natural resources, including traditional practices, treaties, and key Supreme Court cases like the Marshall Trilogy. Participants will learn how memoranda of understanding and collaborative agreements between tribes and federal agencies create pathways for co-management in ceded territories.

This session examines how tribes manage water, forests, and wildlife differently from Western approaches, emphasizing relationships of reciprocity and ecosystem stewardship. Real-world examples include wild rice habitat restoration, the Menominee forestry program, and sturgeon population recovery efforts that demonstrate superior ecological outcomes.

This session covers tribal energy sovereignty, exploring both renewable and non-renewable energy projects on tribal lands and the regulatory challenges tribes face. Successful case studies include the Moapa Southern Paiute Solar Project, Blue Lake Rancheria Microgrid, and the Oceti Sakowin Power Authority wind energy initiative.

This concluding session analyzes why tribal resource management is essential for environmental sustainability and cultural preservation, highlighting that indigenous communities manage lands containing over 80% of planetary biodiversity. Participants will explore how energy development can reinforce environmental health when guided by traditional knowledge and the seven generations principle.