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SANTA FE, N.M. — Today, leadership from the Bureau of Land Management, the USDA Forest Service, and the Pueblo of Tesuque signed a memorandum of understanding to co-steward culturally significant Tribal places located on public lands of the Caja del Río Plateau west of Santa Fe, N.M. This agreement establishes a framework to collaboratively ensure the protection, preservation, and access to culturally significant Pueblo sites within the boundaries of land managed by federal agencies.

“We are pleased to work with BLM and the Forest Service on this historic co-stewardship agreement. It will incorporate traditional ecological knowledge of Tesuque Pueblo into the federal government’s management responsibilities for this unique, living, cultural landscape,” said Pueblo of Tesuque Governor Milton Herrera. “It will strengthen our relationship with these two federal agencies and ultimately lead to improved protection of the culturally sensitive areas within the Caja del Río that are important to the Pueblo.”

“The Taos Field Office is grateful to the Pueblo of Tesuque for this incredible partnership and proud to work with them to protect culturally significant sites within these areas. We are excited to see what the future holds as we explore co-stewardship opportunities,” said Taos Field Manager Eric Valencia.

“The Santa Fe National Forest is honored to have worked collaboratively with the Pueblo of Tesuque and the Taos Field Office to finalize and sign this co-stewardship agreement. We look forward to partnering with the tribe and the BLM to meet our mutual protection and preservation land management goals,” said Santa Fe National Forest Supervisor Shaun Sanchez.

The agreement aims to protect the Caja del Río from the desecration of sacred sites and illegal dumping, while preserving ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites. Its goal is also to ensure Pueblo member access to cultural resources and include traditional ecological knowledge in management decisions for the area.

In 2021, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack signed Joint Secretarial Order 3403 to ensure agencies manage federal lands and waters in a manner that seeks to protect the treaty, religious, subsistence, and cultural interests of federally recognized Native American and Alaska Native Tribes and the Native Hawaiian Community. The order requires such management be consistent with the nation-to-nation relationship between the United States and the Tribes and that it fulfills the unique trust obligation to Tribes and their citizens.