State Parks staff outline Centennial Accord plan update, urge agency-level consultation processes with tribes

Assistant Tribal Relations Director JJ McBines told the Parks and Recreation Commission that agency staff are updating the agency’s Centennial Accord plan to reflect current consultation practices and to implement government-to-government protocols with federally recognized tribes and those with treaty-reserved rights.

McBines summarized the accord’s purpose: to recognize tribal sovereignty, establish government-to-government relationships and require state agency directors to develop internal procedures for consultation. He told commissioners the Centennial Accord was last submitted in 1989 and has since seen updates and guidance, including a renewed focus on natural-resources consultation and education in subsequent reviews.

Staff said the Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs (GOIA) provides a template most agencies use for Centennial-Accord plans and that statute and agency guidance require training, annual submission of plan updates and reasonable efforts to coordinate with tribes on policies, agreements and program implementation. McBines said the team is pursuing a change-management approach to embed consultation processes into agency practice and that agency-level plans should include funding, definitions, consultation processes and dispute-resolution procedures. He said the park agency will continue coordination with GOIA and tribal partners as those templates and guidance evolve under new GOIA leadership.

Commissioners discussed whether the commission should have a standing presence at the statewide Centennial Accord meeting to observe and engage in side conversations with tribal representatives, noting that other agencies’ commissions sometimes send a member to attend in a nonvoting, observational capacity. Commissioners requested staff explore options for participation with GOIA and tribal partners.