Nez Perce Tribe

Location

The Nez Perce Tribe is located in North Central Idaho but not limited to demarcation, described in the Nez Perce Tribe Treaty of 1855 as a territory from the Bitter Root Mountains to the Cascade Mountains. These lands reach up into today’s Canadian territory.

History of TRMTC Involvement

Nez Perce's involvement involvement began with the enactment of Resolution NP-05-411 in September 2005 coinciding with the Hanford End-State Vision. This resolution introduces the values that the Nez Perce Tribe places on the Hanford Lands and resources, and defines the principles inherent in those values for returning those lands and resources to a healthy status. Through the Hanford Guidance, the Tribe became a stakeholder Tribe in the interest of clean up and disposal of the Hanford Site. This allowed the Tribe to be actively involved with Federal/Tribal partner groups to discuss issues and Tribal interests.

The Tribe participates in the Tribal Radioactive Materials Transportation Committee to continue Tribal emergency management interests in the region which include Advanced Notification of Transportation, Training at the Hanford Hazardous Materials Management Emergency Response (HAMMER) training center, and extend further into Tribal Environmental Restoration of Waste Management (ERWM) involvement with the Natural Resources Damage Assessment (NRDA), State and Tribal Government Working Group (STGWG), Nuclear Energy Tribal Working Group (NETWG), Cultural Resources, Air Quality, and Education Outreach.

Relevant Links

• Nez Perce Tribe Website

• Hanford Site

• Hanford Natural Resource Trustee Council Natural Resource Damage Assessment

• HAMMER Federal Training Center Tribal Program

Primary TRMTC Contacts

• John Wheaton: Nez Perce Tribe Emergency Management Planner, jwheaton@nezperce.org, 208-621-3760

• Michael Sobotta: Nez Perce Tribe Cultural Resources, mikes@nezperce.org