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The Yurok Tribal Council finds that:

(a) The Creator set forth the laws by which the Yurok People are instructed to interact with and care for our natural world, including the plants and animals we use for our foods and medicines;

(b) Resisting and undoing the many negative impacts of invasion and of attempted colonization for the Yurok People means restoring what was deteriorated. These include our lands, waters, traditional learning and teaching systems, seeds, food and medicinal plants and animals, salmon, sacred places, and the health and wellbeing of our families and villages;

(c) These sacred elements and honoring our relationship with the Yurok World are of absolute necessity for restoring the practices handed down to us necessary to sustain our food sovereignty and for our spiritual, cultural, physical, social and environmental health, identity and survival;

(d) We have also practiced our stewardship of the land in the prairies and forests through controlled burns that improve wildlife habitat and enhance the health and growth of the tan oak acorns, hazelnuts, pepperwood nuts, berries, grasses and bushes, all of which are used and provide materials for baskets, fabrics, and utensils;

(e) The Yurok Tribe adopted a Constitution in order to:

(1) Preserve forever our Tribe and protect it from forces which may threaten its existence;

(2) Uphold and protect our Tribal sovereignty which has existed from time immemorial and which remains undiminished;

(3) Provide for the health, education, economy and social wellbeing of our members and future members; and

(4) Restore, enhance, and manage the Tribal fishery, Tribal water rights, Tribal forests, and all other natural resources, as we understand our solemn mutual responsibilities to these entities;

(f) Protecting our traditional seeds, plants, salmon and other life-giving foods and methods from the many current threats such as climate change, mining and extractive industries, genetic engineering, pesticides and other toxic contaminants is essential for our survival, and at the core of our sacred responsibilities as Yurok People;

(g) It is the inherent sovereign right and responsibility of the Yurok People to maintain a healthy relationship with the Yurok World and its sacred elements; to exercise responsible stewardship over traditional food sources, land, air, and water; and act to recover from the extreme imbalance caused by a destructive colonial food system and land dispossession;

(h) Pesticides contain toxic substances that generally may have a detrimental effect on human health and, in particular, have adverse effects on the most vulnerable: infants, children, elders, and individuals who are taking medications or have suppressed immune systems;

(i) Toxic substances in pesticides may also have a detrimental impact on the wellbeing of plants, animals and other living beings and entire ecosystems in our lands due to the pollution of air, water, soil, as well as to ceremonial, cultural, herbal medicine traditional and subsistence resources;

(j) In spite of the Yurok Tribe’s ongoing opposition to pesticide use within or adjacent to any and all lands, water, and air under the jurisdiction of the Yurok Tribe, pesticides continue to be imported, used, and dumped within Tribal territory; the presence of pesticides has increased as cannabis growers continue to unlawfully apply restricted-use, general, and banned pesticides;

(k) The Yurok Tribe, its members, and those who live, work, and come into Yurok Tribal territory and jurisdiction have the fundamental right to know about pesticide use, exposure and impacts to their health and lifeways, and to be protected therefrom.

Commentary: The findings are based on Yurok Tribe’s oral history, the Yurok Tribe’s Constitution, Tribal Council pesticide resolutions and policy statements, YTEP documentation, and social and natural science conclusions.

[Ord. 50C § 10003, adopted, 8/31/2017.]