The Klamath River Basin, near California’s northern border, is home to the Yurok Tribe’s traditional food systems. With a rich variety of nutritional and cultural resources, expanding access to this area will support the community and offset the food desert. In the spring 2021, three UCLA law students contributed to longstanding Yurok efforts to increase access to these lands. 

The students were participating in two UCLA School of Law clinics: Tribal Legal Development Clinic and Frank G. Wells Environmental Law Clinic. Both programs were led by Lauren van Schilfgaarde, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians tribal legal development clinic director, and Julia Stein, supervising attorney and project director at the UCLA Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment. 

Legal memos and field guides were created to help tribal members understand regulations for different species — this included 5x7-inch cards with images and text which served as travel-sized reference cards.  

Additionally, students wrote a legal framework for how the tribe could work with government agencies to improve access to culturally important species. This serves as a template memorandum to help tribes and government officials write and approve agreements regarding tribal access more effectively. 

This work was very timely, as state and federal governments have announced intentions to improve relations between themselves and tribal nations. Learn more about the projects at UCLA Newsroom.