Indian tribes to be allowed to gather plants in national parks

he gathering and removal of plants or plant parts for traditional purposes will now be allowed in national parks by members of federally recognized Indian tribes. The rule change was announced by Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell on Wednesday at the National Congress of American Indians Mid-Year Conference in Spokane, Wash. “The changes to the gathering rule support continuation of unique cultural traditions of American Indians and support the mission of the National Park Service,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis in a press release. The changes to the regulation take effect 30 days after the rule is published in the Federal Register in the coming days. After that time, tribes will be able to request to enter into agreements to conduct gathering activities. The pre-published final rule can be read online at https://www.nps.gov/tribes/final_rule.htm. To be eligible under the rule, the tribe must have a traditional association to lands within the national park system and the plants must be gathered only for traditional purposes...more