Dear Tribal Leader:

The eight signatory Federal Agencies of the Memorandum of Understanding Regarding Interagency Coordination and Collaboration for the Protection of Indigenous Sacred Sites (MOU) invite you to participate in a Listening Session on Wednesday, March 9, 2022, 1:30PM-4:30PM ET. The purpose of this session is to solicit priorities, guidance, and recommendations from Tribal leaders and Native Hawaiian Organizations (NHOs) on the implementation of the MOU. The MOU signatories also encourage traditional cultural practitioners, Tribal elders, and those with Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) expertise to provide comments and share their perspectives about the MOU and its implementation.

On November 16, 2021, the Biden-Harris Administration announced the Sacred Sites Memorandum of Understanding. This joint MOU among the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Energy, Interior, and Transportation; the Environmental Protection Agency; the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; the White House Council on Environmental Quality; and the Tennessee Valley Authority seeks to improve the protection of and access to Indigenous sacred sites through enhanced and improved interdepartmental coordination, collaboration, and action.

Additionally, the MOU provides for increased collaboration with Tribes and NHOs to ensure stewardship and access to sites, and the incorporation of TEK into management, treatment, and protection procedures. The MOU commits participating agencies to work together and engage with Tribes, NHOs, and spiritual leaders in developing and implementing actions to improve the protection of and access to Tribal, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian sacred sites.

The eight signatory agencies of the MOU are scheduling the following listening session to hear Tribal and NHO guidance and engage in open dialogue on the effective implementation and future of the MOU. There will be consultations scheduled on the MOU over the coming months, and if necessary, the MOU may be amended in light of feedback received at the listening session and consultations.

Register in advance for this meeting.

In addition to joining the Listening Session listed above, please submit any written comments to whcnaa@bia.gov by March 23, 2022, to ensure timely consideration. To help facilitate dialogue at the Listening Session, framing questions are attached to this letter, as is the MOU. Please send any questions about the Listening Session to whcnaa@bia.gov.

Sincerely,
Anthony Morgan Rodman
Executive Director, White House Council on Native American Affairs