Restoring Pollinator Habitat on Tribal Lands

Introduction

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The Tribal Alliance for Pollinators (TAP) is a Native-led non-profit organization based in Oklahoma and is the only Tribal-led pollinator initiative in the US. Their work, which originated from Tribal-led monarch conservation, utilizes traditional ecological knowledge to restore native plants and pollinator habitat on Tribal lands. 

The geographic overlap of Tribal land and degraded pollinator habitat in Oklahoma has prompted restoration efforts among many Tribal nations. Oklahoma is the home of 39 Tribal nations, and is a key stop along the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) migration route. In the spring, monarchs take shelter in native milkweed (Asclepias spp.) where they lay their eggs. In the fall, migrating monarchs drink nectar from native flowers which helps build the lipid reserves they need to survive over the winter. Unfortunately, long-term non-native grass encroachment, drought, overgrazing, overmowing and herbicide use have caused this habitat to become increasingly degraded and fragmented. As a result, populations of monarchs and other important pollinators have significantly declined. 

According to TAP co-director, Jane Breckinridge, for many of these Tribal nations, there is no stronger assertion of Tribal sovereignty than caring for the land on which they maintain their historical, spiritual, and cultural traditions. Tribal nations have a unique capacity to apply traditional ecological knowledge to issues such as pollinator habitat degradation. Traditional ecological knowledge is based on an understanding of the mutual reciprocity and interconnectivity of humans, land, animals and insects. It works to keep ecosystems healthy by using the knowledge acquired through living closely connected to the land for many generations. Unfortunately, the tools and resources necessary to engage in pollinator restoration applying traditional ecological knowledge are not widely accessible due to remote locations of Tribal lands and the specialized nature of the work. This can make meaningful Native American-led land restoration and maintenance difficult. Therefore, the Tribal Alliance for Pollinators collaborates with Tribes across Oklahoma and the central United States to provide training and equipment to overcome these barriers.

Key Issues Addressed

The habitats pollinators rely on for food and shelter do not adhere to political boundaries between state and Tribal lands and require an “all hands on deck” approach requiring restoration in all land use sectors (Thogmartin et al. 2017). Valuable pollinator habitat, specifically milkweed and nectar plants utilized by monarch butterflies, spans many countries, sovereign Tribal nations, and US states. When conservation efforts are confined within a specific political boundary, or collaboration is limited by political differences, large areas of valuable habitat can be overlooked. This often results in a piecemeal approach to conservation, fragmented pollinator habitat, and therefore reduced effectiveness of conservation efforts. In the past, Tribes have focused pollinator restoration efforts on the lands they manage. TAP is providing a vehicle to share knowledge, equipment and seeds inter-Tribally through a Native-led coalition.

A common method to restore culturally and ecologically significant land is to plant native species, but seeds may be expensive or difficult to find. Habitat restoration often requires specific farming equipment that is not widely available or accessible, and training may be necessary to safely operate such equipment. Understanding best practices requires access to relevant training and education materials, and available materials rarely include considerations such as cultural significance of pollinator species, plants, and other cultural resources. Without access to such resources, it can be difficult for groups to initiate and maintain habitat restoration initiatives.

Restoring milkweeds and other native flowers is essential to the success of pollinator conservation in Oklahoma. Though it is possible to nurture pollinator populations through insect rearing, maintaining these populations requires resources beyond the nursery. For example, when the monarch butterflies raised at the Euchee Butterfly Farm, associated with the Tribal Alliance for Pollinators, leave the farm, they migrate up to 3,000 miles. This means their survival depends on the availability of food and shelter along this route. The conservation of ecologically and culturally important pollinators will not succeed without the restoration of the native habitats they depend on for food and shelter.

Project Goals

• Forge partnerships that encourage collaboration and support the dissemination of seeds, equipment, and ecological knowledge among Tribal nations.
• Provide access to the resources and tools necessary for the restoration and maintenance of pollinator habitat on Tribal lands.
• Increase the amount of usable pollinator habitat through the planting and maintenance of important native plants

Project Highlights

Milkweed is Food: Monarch larvae aren’t the only consumers of milkweed. Indigenous cultures have harvested it as a food crop responsibly for generations and continue to do so to this day

• Partners in Change: In 2021, representatives from 62 Tribes across the US, including 35 from Oklahoma, participated in TAP training events, workshops, conferences, and webinars. TAP members collaborated, sometimes overcoming significant differences, to address ecological and cultural issues on a united front. Additionally, events allowed members to share traditional ecological knowledge, histories and perspectives unique to their cultures.
• Lending a Helping Hand: In September of 2021, the Tribal Alliance for Pollinators hosted their annual conference at the Euchee Butterfly Farm. The four-day conference featured discussions centered around the restoration, preservation, and resiliency of Tribal lands. TAP developed a lending library that gives members access to a wide range of tools and resources including but not limited to weed-eaters, clippers, shovels, germination trays, plug trays, mobile watering tanks, mowers, books, and field guides.
• Sowing Seeds for an Accessible Future: TAP made seeds more affordable to members through the collection, identification, processing, cataloging, and storage of over 9.2 billion seeds belonging to more than 150 native plant species. These seeds, which can be expensive and difficult to find in stores, were made available to TAP members for free.
• Taking Action: In 2016, the Citizen Potawatomi Nation planted 2,500 milkweed plants at the Citizen Potawatomi Eagle Aviary and pledged to plant an additional 2,500 the following year. The Citizen Potawatomi Nation was just one of seven Tribes– also including Miami, Osage, Muscogee (Creek), Seminole, Chickasaw and Eastern Shawnee— that each pledged to plant 50 acres of milkweed over a two-year period.

Lessons Learned

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Jane Breckinridge, TAP co-director, explained that many TAP members have personally experienced the endangerment and even the extinction of indigenous traditions, languages, and culture which allows them to empathize with threatened pollinator species, resulting in a unique, almost duty bound, conservation perspective. Additionally, the threats to indigenous culture and Tribal lands are often quite similar, meaning conservation and restoration efforts can address multiple issues at once. For example, TAP’s annual conference in 2021 featured a presentation by the Yuchi Language Project on how monarch conservation facilitates the preservation of indigenous language.

The provision of resources such as specialized equipment, educational materials, and native seeds not only assisted in Native land restoration, but also developed the capacity for future restoration and sustainable economic development for Native people. For example, the Natives Raising Natives (NRN) program, also housed at the Tribal Alliance for Pollinator’s Learning Center, engages Native youths in hands-on science learning opportunities to boost STEM skills needed for their future careers. 

Allowing seeds to take root in a controlled environment like a hoop house and then planting the seedlings in the ground was a more successful planting method than planting seeds directly in the ground. Planting seed plugs was labor intensive and required the hands-on efforts of many volunteers. While there was never a lack of willingness among members, COVID-19 social distancing protocols significantly reduced volunteer capacity. Flexibility and patience were key to overcoming the obstacles set forth by the novel coronavirus.

Next Steps

• Maintain restored areas to ensure food and shelter are regularly available for pollinators
• Find new collection sites and recruit new seed collection volunteers to expand the biodiversity of the seed bank
• Process, catalog, and store the backlog of collected seeds from the previous year
• Develop a secure long-term plan to protect seed bank and improve equipment storage
• Increase access to TAP trainings through the provision of travel scholarships for Tribes with limited financial resources that have a strong commitment to restoring pollinator habitat on their land base

Funding Partners

• National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Resources

• Website: The Tribal Alliance for Pollinators
• Tribal Alliance for Pollinators Learning Materials
• Website: Euchee Butterfly Farm
• Thogmartin, W. et al. (2017) “Monarch butterfly population declining in North America: identifying the threatening processes”. Royal Society Open Science 4(9)

Contacts

• Jane Breckinridge, Tribal Alliance for Pollinators: jbreckinridge@hotmail.com

CART Lead Author

• Maddison E Elliott, Student Author, Virtual Student Federal Service Program

Suggested Citation

Elliott, M., E. (2022). “The Tribal Alliance for Pollinators: Restoring Pollinator Habitat on Tribal Lands in Oklahoma.” CART. Retrieved from https://www.fws.gov/project/restoring-pollinator-habitat-tribal-lands.