**Tribal Participation in NRCS programs FY 2007**

**Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) awarded to Confederated Salish and
Kootenai Tribes of Western Montana.**

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation was
awarded a three year CIG in the amount of \$179,000.00. The Tribes will
collaborate with the State, County and Salish Kootenai College their
Tribal College to protect, enhance, and restore wetland and riparian
resources of the Flathead Indians Reservation in NW Montana.

**Conservation Partnership Protests Historic Site.**

EQIP conservation practices help restore Fort Hall Historic Site in
Idaho. The Shoshone Bannock Tribes of ID, The Bureau of Reclamation and
Idaho NRCS received Environmental Quality Incentive Program funds to do
stream-bank soil bioengineering practices, or vegetation treatment to
restore the stream-banks of the Snake River's edge. Hundreds of native
willows were planted to help stabilize its banks. Benefits include
improved water quality, the trapping of productive soils, water
temperature control and enhanced wildlife habitat.

**NRCS and Michigan Tribe Agreement protects Native Cultural
Artifacts.**

On Earth Day, NRCS signed an agreement formalizing the process for
protection of native cultural artifacts and remains. This agreement
between the USDA NRCS and the Michigan Anishinaabec Cultural Protection
Alliance (MACPRA) is the first formal federal agreement with the MACPRA,
for the protection of ancestral graves of American Indians found in
Michigan and repatriation of tribal related cultural resource. The
agreement expedites the removal of the resources and returns the
resources to their protectors.

**Partners Restored Pyramid Lake Tribal Wetland Habitat in Nevada.**

The Pyramid Lake Tribe of Nevada along with NRCS, other federal and
State agencies the University of Nevada and Nevada Mining Association,
private companies and volunteers partnered to remove metal mine tailing
from the Guahoni mine runoff into streams that emptied into Pyramid
Lake. The Tribe and NRCS worked together to develop a conservation plan
and receive a Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program grant to restore
wetland habitat and traditional use. The Restoration of the wetland and
up land plant communities will improve habitat or wildlife and also
improve the lake environment for the cutthroat Trout.

**White Earth Tribe: Minnesota's First Tribal Conservation District**

USDA Undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment Mark Rey
signed a mutual agreement with the White Earth Tribe making them the
first conservation district in Minnesota. The White Earth is the 27^th^
tribal conservation district recognized by the Secretary of Agriculture.
The agreement affirms USDA's commitments to tribal government assistance
as well as USDA's goals for better service to consumers in Indian
Country.

**NRCS Fond du Lac sign Cultural Resources Agreement**

Minnesota NRCS signed a cultural resource tribal agreement with the Fond
du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa outlining a process for
consultation with the tribe prior to implementing any practices that
will affect tribal lands and resources relating to traditional, cultural
and spiritual places. NRCS and the tribes have worked on several
conservation projects. The main emphasis has been restoration of the
reservation's wild rice lakes.

**WHIP Helps clean-up Sacred Burial on Ho-Chunk Nation.**

Wisconsin NRCS and the Ho-Chunk Nation worked to restore a 40 --acre
county burial site over looking the Wisconsin River. WHIP helped the
tribe remove the bush and non-native trees and replant prairie grasses
to restore the oak savannah prairie to bring the conical burial mounds
back to their original setting.