Tribal Engagement
The Delta Stewardship Council seeks to honor tribal sovereignty and knowledge and strives to engage early, often, and meaningfully with tribes in its work. Together, we aim to cultivate and strengthen relationships with tribal partners in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta through active consultations, listening and engagement sessions, and the appropriate interweaving of Traditional Knowledge in Delta science and management. These venues strive to provide a space for an equitable exchange of perspectives to build an understanding of the diverse interests, concerns, opportunities, and challenges related to tribes and stewardship of the Bay-Delta estuary. The Council is committed to actively pursuing opportunities that advance tribal considerations and fostering dynamic partnerships with tribes.
Tribal Consultation Policy
In 2015, the Council adopted a Tribal Consultation Policy to engage in the timely and active process of seeking, discussing, and incorporating the views of California Native American tribes and tribal communities into its decision-making. The Council’s Tribal Consultation Policy can also be found in the Public Participation Plan as Appendix B.
Active Consultations and Tribal Funding Opportunities
At any time, the Council may have active consultation opportunities that seek to consult with Native American tribes and tribal communities on Council initiatives. The Council may also have funding opportunities available to tribes. The active consultation and funding opportunities highlighted are regularly updated with a description of the project or opportunity, as well as any timeline. To learn more about active consultations or these funding opportunities, please email our tribal liaison at tribal.liaison@deltacouncil.ca.gov.
The Council also maintains and updates monthly an Active Projects List of current projects in the Delta. Tribes interested in being on the digital mailing list to receive a monthly newsletter that contains the Active Project List, events, funding opportunities, Delta-specific updates, and more should email tribal.liaison@deltacouncil.ca.gov.
Tribal and Environmental Justice Issue Paper
During its April 24, 2025, Council meeting, the Council unanimously adopted the tribal and environmental justice issue paper and its recommendations: Tribal and Environmental Justice in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta: History, Current Perspectives, and Recommendations for a Way Forward.
The issue paper represents the culmination of four years of effort, with tribal pre-consultation and consultation, to better understand the history of tribal and environmental justice in the Delta, current issues, and how the Council can better incorporate tribal and environmental justice into its work.
Building on these efforts and the knowledge gained by the development of this issue paper, the Council will grow its tribal and environmental justice work into the future.
Ongoing Outreach and Engagement
The Council’s ongoing work with tribes, tribal organizations, and Traditional Knowledge holders is the foundation informing future research on and governance in Delta management. We provide links to some of this work to help inform others and make connections between tribes and other decision-making bodies and interested parties.
The Council seeks to host representatives from various California Native American tribes as part of agenda items or listening sessions to hear about their ties to the Delta, their sovereignty and relation to the state, and their input regarding Delta management. The April 2023 listening session, which was part of the Council’s monthly meetings, provided an opportunity to hear tribal perspectives and ask questions to facilitate a shared understanding that informs the Council’s tribal engagement. The video and agenda can be viewed via Cal-Span. Former Chair Virginia Madueño and former Tribal Liaison Brandon Chapin authored a blog reflecting on the listening session.
The Council seeks to involve and incorporate tribal perspectives into its initiatives and events. Past engagement sessions include the bi-annual Adaptive Management Forum, hosted by the Delta Science Program, which in 2023 focused on the need for governance to effectively adapt across organizational scales. The forum included a tribal welcome, land acknowledgment, a storytelling session highlighting tribal and environmental justice perspectives, and a panel including various tribes across the Bay-Delta. The video and agenda can be viewed on YouTube.
Interweaving Traditional Knowledge
Many of California’s Indigenous peoples have ancestral ties to the Bay-Delta estuary. Across millennia of observation, learning, application, and adaptation, Indigenous peoples in California have practiced Traditional Knowledge to support diverse, flourishing communities. Traditional Knowledge is inherently place-based, so the removal from the landscape over time has obstructed Indigenous peoples from using, adapting, and, in some cases, preserving their knowledge. With direction from the Governor’s Office Executive Order N-82-20, many State agencies are beginning to address these injustices by seeking ways to collaborate with Native American tribes to interweave Traditional Knowledge in the Bay-Delta and its management.
The co-production of knowledge, or the interweaving of Traditional Knowledge, is increasingly recognized as a best practice for bringing together multiple knowledges and methodologies in transdisciplinary research. To support and advance interweaving efforts, the Delta Science Program conducted an assessment to establish a shared knowledge base for inroads for Indigenous peoples to practice, transmit, and/or revitalize their knowledges. The assessment is expected in the June 2025 issue of the San Francisco Bay Estuary and Watershed Sciences journal.
The Delta Science Program’s encouraged proposals for projects based on Traditional Knowledge and/or co-production of knowledge from collaborations among researchers, tribes, and tribal-serving organizations. The 2025 Delta Research Awards included four projects that co-produce knowledge with Tribes. In preparation for Traditional Knowledge and co-production projects, the Council met with Delta-area tribes to learn about their research priorities, gauge interest in research partnerships, and get feedback on how the call for research proposals was structured. The Delta Science Program also provided tribes with a list of research project ideas from potential science partners.
Contact Us
To learn more about tribal engagement, co-production, or other ways to engage in our process, please contact our tribal liaison at tribal.liaison@deltacouncil.ca.gov.