Tribal Relations

Washington's first people have unique and rich insight into our natural environments. Countless generations have passed down wisdom of how our land's ecology influences its culture.

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources recognizes the vital knowledge Washington's first people have of our shared natural resources. DNR operates under an order from the Commissioner of Public Lands to ensure management of state-owned lands is done in collaboration with the 29 federally recognized tribes of Washington State and out-of-state federally recognized Indian tribes with reserved treaty rights in Washington state (this Commissioner's Order is in the process of being updated).

Collaborative Relationships with Washington Tribes

DNR works toward collaborative relationships and good communication with Tribes in all its programs, at all levels across the agency. The department recognizes the Tribes' separate rights and authorities and maintains government-to-government relations with the 29 recognized Indian Tribes residing in the state of Washington and out-of-state federally recognized Indian tribes with reserved treaty rights in Washington state.

That work shows up on the ground. In early 2026, DNR and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation completed a fuels treatment on 40 acres just south of the tribal government campus, senior housing, and specialized housing for Tribal elders, with DNR covering the full $19,765 cost through HB 1168 funds. When the Kaiser Canyon fire reached that ground, the treatment lowered fire intensity and slowed the fire's advance. This gave firefighters access to create more defensible space, allowing the senior housing to be safely evacuated and leaving the buildings unscathed. A second project the two governments had planned north of town near the Nespelem Tribal Longhouse had not yet begun when the fire arrived, and the effects there were markedly more severe, a measure of what the treated acres accomplished. Partnerships like this one rest on a foundation built over decades.

Click above to learn more about DNR's work with the Colville Tribes.

The Centennial Accord

The Centennial Accord was established in 1989 through the governor and the signatory tribes. In addition, the Commissioner of Public Lands also recognizes the department's relationship with Washington's sovereign tribes with an official Commissioner's Order on Tribal Relations. The Commissioner's Order serves as the department's overall tribal relations policy and commits the department to conduct relations with the tribes as one government to another. Building on the foundation that the Centennial Accord provided, the Governor and tribes met in 1999 to again express their desire to build stronger working relationships by adopting the Millennium Agreement. These various documents provide the context for DNR's tribal relations program.