Principal Environmental Consultant Wood PLC Reno, Nevada
Presentation
Description: Wood (Erin A. Drake, MA, RPA) proposes to offer a lecture-based tutorial on the importance of early Tribal engagement with respect to renewable energy projects in the Southwestern United States. Drawing from recent project examples, the tutorial will focus on offering achievable strategies for Tribal inclusion throughout the life of a project.
Desired Outcomes: • Engage Tribes early and often by initiating Tribal feedback via in-person and virtual meetings. • Actively listen to Tribal concerns and repeat back what you understand. • Request to attend tribal council meetings and present your project. • Invite Tribes to participate as cultural monitors and be willing to pay them to participate in early archaeological surveys of your project. • If using a subcontractor for archaeological surveys, ensure that subcontractors are properly trained in respecting Tribal concerns, working with Tribal authorities, and exhibiting sensitivity to Tribal traditional cultural properties. • Respect worldviews that are different from your own (i.e., landscapes as living beings). • Understand the limitations Tribes may have for allocation of resources. • Allow for government-to-government consultation with federal agencies as necessary. • Follow up with Tribes at the end of a project to provide a summary of the project and solicit feedback on the Tribal engagement process.
