Tribal GIS summit draws 90 tribes to CalEPA; participants ask for GIS data sovereignty and inclusion

Donna Miranda Begay told the State Water Resources Control Board on Sept. 3 that the first California Native American Tribal GIS Summit — hosted July 31–Aug. 1 in the CalEPA building and co‑hosted by the state water board and a tribal GIS nonprofit — drew participation from roughly 90 tribes and about 280 in‑person and 230 virtual attendees. Begay said the summit focused on using geographic information systems (GIS) to protect cultural landscapes, support environmental justice and assist in land‑back, rematriation and conservation work.

Begay said summit outcomes included recommendations to include GIS data when providing public notices to tribes (including water‑related notices and water‑rights outreach), to promote GIS data sovereignty, and to enable ground‑truthing, rematriation and integration of tribal ecological knowledge in public natural‑resource planning. She also urged that publicly held lands and allotment lands be accurately reflected on maps such as fire and flood mapping. "There's a need for beneficial uses in water in California water rights workshops and webinars," Begay said, urging improved tribal engagement and training opportunities.

Board chair Joaquin Esquivel thanked Begay for organizing the summit and said staff would make presentation materials available on the web. Board members and staff affirmed interest in further engagement and offered to coordinate sharing summit materials via the board’s website.