Lower Brule Sioux Tribe

This project will build tribal capacity and support tribal leadership efforts in cross-agency management of native habitats and culturally important natural resources on reservation and adjacent U.S. Forest Service Lands.

Through this project, the tribe is removing invasive non-native trees, destroying invasive non-native smooth brome grass areas, and replanting the entire 660 acres to a diverse mix of native grasses and forbs.

Lower Brule intends to regain land lost before 1906, now in Ft. Pierre National Grasslands. It has begun with co-management but needs background to be an equal partner. Information gained about the land history/ecology from archival research will increase tribal knowledge and capacity and provide significant leverage in future negotiations.

This project will support the Lower Brule Digital Archive, the mission of which is to gather documents associated with Lower Brule – lands, people, history – anything that can help fill in the enormous gaps in knowledge during the many years of forced removal.

Our projects will create new grasslands where croplands currently exist and retain existing habitat that could be destroyed. It will create connectivity between existing native grasslands and retain connectivity of unique habitat. This project will leverage funding from other partners and increase the key habitats that exists on the reservation.

Our projects will create new grasslands where croplands currently exist and retain existing habitat that could be destroyed. It will create connectivity between existing native grasslands and retain connectivity of unique habitat. This project will leverage funding from other partners and increase the key habitats that exists on the reservation.

The ultimate purpose of this project is to 1) increase the pronghorn population, 2) increase the black-footed ferret population, 3) retain institutional knowledge by retaining current staff, 4) increase tribal knowledge of wildlife ecology, 5) leverage this project with other existing projects, and 6) utilize the expertise of staff to continue to build our program.

The ultimate purpose is to 1) increase revenue in order to become self-sufficient and increase efforts related to environmental stewardship and wildlife conservation; 2) Leverage existing forestry projects and utilize available materials that are otherwise burned or mulched; 3) Increase the control of invasive, non-native weeds and promote ecological preservation; 4) Create new economic ventures for the Tribe and create jobs for tribal members.

The purpose of our project is to determine the feasibility of developing a carbon sequestration program for Lower Brule Sioux Tribal Lands. If feasible, the Tribe will see an increase in revenue, which will in turn be utilized to promote self-sufficiency for the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Recreation and potentially the Tribe as a whole. Additionally, this project will promote environmental stewardship and enhance habitat available to fish and wildlife.