Overview

project website: www.scerp.org/STEP/

There are approximately 25 Indian tribes living in the United States in the border region outlined by the 1983 La Paz agreement (e.g. 100 kilometers north and south of the international boundary). There is a similar number of Indian tribes living in the Mexican part of the border region. Collectively, the indigenous populations in this region (California, Baja California, Arizona, and Texas) count for over forty thousand people and encompass a land base of over three million acres. The original territory of these tribes once covered the region now bisected by the international boundary and, as a result, many of the Indians living on the U.S. side still maintain strong cross-border ties with their Mexican relations. Despite their long and intimate knowledge of their lands and environment, these Indian tribes have largely been excluded from conventional environmental programs with the exception of Border XXI and Border 2012 initiatives and discussion. The critical problem for the future will be to integrate these tribal societies and their present-day territories into a shared, binational vision for the border region.

To this end, SCERP researchers partnered with Tribal Nations in the border region to address research information needs. They established Memoranda of Understanding with the Nations and conducted applied science to support environmental stewardship in tribal lands. Examples of the types of projects conducted include: environmental education, development of geographical information systems, inventories of cultural resources, and others.