Tribal Engagement Fluency at WCOA and Beyond

To support its State and Federal partners, the West Coast Ocean Alliance has developed a menu of strategies that help build fluency and root partnerships to enhance respectful and meaningful engagement with Tribal governments.

This initiative addresses a long-standing need expressed by the West Coast Ocean Tribal Caucus, as well as federal and state partners. While many government agencies have consultation policies, Tribal Nations consistently experience engagement that falls short, perpetuating harm and overlooking sovereign rights. In a 2024 poll, 73% of Tribal Caucus members reported "often" experiencing challenges in consultation processes.

Guided by the Tribal Caucus and created by Strategic Earth Consulting with input and  content provided by the WCOA Tribal Engagement Director, the strategy and implementation plan reflects both technical and cultural approaches to ground strategies. . Its vision is a future where engagement and formal consultation  is rooted in reverence, upholds Tribal sovereignty, respects cultural protocols, and honors consent-based decision-making.

The program provides a flexible approach that WCOA and the Tribal Caucus can tailor to implement based on current priorities, needs and funding. It expands beyond technical instruction to emphasize the relational work required for effective collaboration. Core strategies include centering Tribal perspectives through storytelling, creating opportunities for healing from past harm, and strengthening government-to-government relationships through shared experiences. The ultimate goal is to place the responsibility for learning and improvement on State and Federal governments, ensuring they have the tools and understanding to honor their commitments to Tribal counterparts

“Training other governments and organizations can be hard because it assumes that understanding can be taught. While it is true that the technical aspects of engagement can be taught (such as processes, points of contact, legal obligation), moral and ethical obligations are not easily written into policy or regulation, but are still entangled within intergovernmental commitments.” - Building a Training Program for Respectful Engagement and Consultation with Tribal Governments

The creation of this envisions a future where the Tribes experience meaningful consultation, strong inter-governmental partnerships, and the diverse benefits from ongoing, transparent communications.