From supranational to intertribal - Governing Transboundary Waters: Canada, the United States, and Indigenous Communities - page 70

stewardship, and land-management practices. Central to its mission, the Council
serves as a vehicle to involve the First Nations and Tribal communities in direct
decision-making related to the governance of the watershed and to provide a forum
where member villages, tribes, and nations collectively can express their needs
(YRITWC, 2013). The YRITWC is a registered non-profit organization, which
allows it to apply for grant funding and partner with agencies. The Coast Salish
Gathering, on the other hand, has chosen not to register as non-profit and continues
to do its work within the context of its member tribes and bands. The benefit of
this is maintaining control over the activities. The downside, of course, is limited
capacity.
The YRITWC continues to develop new programs with a focus of five main
tenets:

1 Understanding: Getting to know the Watershed through monitoring,

measuring, and researching, and using this knowledge to clean, enhance,
and preserve life along the river.

2 Education: Promoting environmental and traditional education for the

Indigenous peoples of the watershed through educational programs,
scholarships, internships, volunteer opportunities, and incentive programs.

3 Stewardship: Honoring the traditional heritage through good stewards of

the watershed and its tributaries, and restoring and preserving its health
for the benefit of future generations.

4 Enforcement: Developing and enforcing strong state, federal, territorial,

and provincial environmental standards to preserve the long-term health
of the watershed.

5 Organization: Providing greater organizational strength to the Indigenous

peoples of the Yukon River Watershed, both by assisting and improving
Indigenous governments and by being a model of organization built on
collaboration and mutual respect.

(YRITWC, 2013)

Structure of the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council

The YRITWC's governance structure represents a commitment to inter-basin
cooperation; consensus-based decision-making, and integrated resource governance.
To carry out its mission, as of 2014, the YRITWC has a dedicated staff of fourteen
individuals, and an Executive Committee that is selected through a process of
consensus at the biennial summits. The members of the Executive Committee
represent the geographic area of those governments, rather than the First Nation
or Tribes themselves, including: Yukon Flats, Tanana River, Innoko Confluence,
Middle Yukon, Innoko Confluence, Dahka Tlingit, Vuntut Gwich'in/Tr'ondek
Hwech'in, Northern Tutchone, Kaska, and Southern Tutchone. The repre-
sentatives provide steering for the staff and volunteers to meet its mission - they
are also instrumental in communicating the work of the Council back to its
constituents.