Expanding Tribal Engagement at Blue Forest

In 2022 and early 2023, government agencies, such as the U.S. Forest Service, announced national directives and action plans supporting Tribal co-stewardship and emphasizing the importance of adequate Tribal Consultation. As a partner in developing land management and conservation projects, Blue Forest is committed to consistently promoting Tribal partnership across the landscapes we serve.

This November, Blue Forest welcomed Saraya Hamidi to serve as our Indigenous Community Liaison. A member of the Cherokee Nation with a professional background in racial and social justice advocacy and a B.A. in financial economics from Columbia University, Saraya has been a fantastic addition to the team as we continue to build partnerships with Native nations across project areas.

As a liaison between Blue Forest, our partners, and Native nations, Saraya leads the inclusion of Indigenous perspectives throughout projects across the Western United States. “We understand how the land cares for us, and in turn, our duty is to care for the land,” she said. “My intention is to bring this perspective to conversations at Blue Forest and with our partners, emphasizing the necessity of Indigenous leadership in land management projects.”

Blue Forest seeks to build transparent and honest partnerships with Native nations to support the health and resilience of traditional, ancestral, and contemporary Native lands, as well as to promote the understanding and recognition of Tribal sovereignty and self-determination. A central focus of Saraya’s will be to transform our project development process to facilitate partnerships with Native nations and to develop and implement Tribal engagement standards across projects.

As a proud descendant from a long line of defenders of the Cherokee Nation, Saraya’s goal is to ensure that each of our projects demonstrates meaningful Tribal partnerships. “There are many land management cases in which Tribal Consultation is inadequate or non-existent. Blue Forest is in a unique position to support government-to-government partnerships as a nonprofit partner,” she explained. “In a field where capacity is often constrained, I am excited to add Tribal engagement capacity across projects.”

Despite many examples of inadequate Tribal engagement, Saraya remains hopeful about the future. “Nonprofits are an important piece of the land management puzzle. As nonprofits bring Indigenous people onto their teams, we will see increasing numbers of environmental projects that respect Tribal governments and Tribal values. When Tribal governments and values are respected, land, wildlife, and public health all benefit.”