HECHO Statement on the Advancing Tribal Parity on Public Land Act and the Tribal Cultural Areas Protection Act

Hispanics Enjoying Camping Hunting and the Outdoors (HECHO) applauds Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-7) and Senator Martin Heinrich (NM-D) for introducing two pieces of legislation to advance Tribal management of public lands and to improve the protection of sacred and cultural sites, and expresses its strong support for these bills.  

HECHO believes public land management laws must be inclusive, authentic, and mutually beneficial. We support increased tribal representation and inclusion in the management and protection of public lands.  

Indigenous people must have an equal role and the right to make decisions on the management and the future of public lands to which they have a deep cultural, spiritual, and historical connection.  

The Advancing Tribal Parity on Public Lands Act is a major step to improving federal laws, requiring Indigenous People to be consulted on public lands management to ensure they have a genuine seat at the decision-making table. This Act offers Tribal governments the same opportunity to acquire public lands, including sacred and cultural sites, giving them the respect and due authority to protect their ancestral patrimony.   

HECHO supports the preservation of cultural heritage and sacred sites on public lands and the importance of increasing the role of Tribal governments to protect and manage them. 

The Tribal Cultural Areas Protection Act is a significant measure to establish a national Tribal Cultural Areas System that would preserve important cultural sites and require federal land management agencies to identify potential cultural areas with the input and recommendation of tribal members – an effort that HECHO supports. 

HECHO strongly supports tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, self-determination, and the trust responsibility of the federal government to Tribes. The passage of these bills is a necessary pathway to respecting these obligations and laws.