(a) The Tribe is a self-governing Tribe, possessing and exercising full control over resources within the exterior boundaries of the Reservation through the activities of various Tribal departments, including the legislative and executive branches, as well as the Tribal Court system. The Yurok Tribal Council (Council) is the governing body of the Tribe, and under Article IV of the Constitution of the Yurok Tribe and Bylaws, the Council is authorized to enforce protection of Tribal property, wildlife and natural resources, and safeguard and promote the safety and general welfare of the Tribe and the Reservation community.

(b) In protecting Tribal property, wildlife and natural resources with the adoption of this chapter, the Tribe is exercising its inherent power to regulate conduct that may threaten or have a direct effect on the political integrity, the economic security, and health and welfare of the Tribe.

(c) In general, the Hoopa Valley Tribe and the state of California, through their resource and regulatory departments, such as the Tribal Environmental Protection Agency and the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (RB1), respectively, are the jurisdictions responsible for the quality of the water entering the YIR.

(d) As a sovereign power recognized by the federal government, a comanager of natural resources, and by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for purposes of water pollution control, the Tribe maintains jurisdiction over waters that flow into and through the Reservation, regardless of the geographic origins of water sources. [Res. 04-46 § 1.2, adopted, 8/25/2004.]