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Utahns Support Tribal Engagement In Climate Change Initiatives And Land Management, Kirsten Vinyeta

Utah People and Environment Poll (UPEP)

Utah is home to eight federally recognized Tribes whose ancestral territories overlap with public lands managed by state and federal agencies. As sovereign nations, federally recognized Tribes hold government-to-government relationships with the federal government and are on equal footing with states.¹ In fact, the federal government is legally mandated to protect tribal treaty rights, lands, and resources.² Among the mechanisms to protect tribal interests is government-to-government consultation, in which tribal leaders are formally engaged by federal and state officials to provide policy guidance.³