STAC – Naa-yvlh-te

Stewardship | Traditional Ecological Knowledge | Advocacy | Circle
Naa-yvlh-te: "To care for, watch over, protect, and take care of"

Mission Statement:

STAC – Naa-yvlh-te is a Native-led program dedicated to protecting lands, waters, and cultural resources through stewardship, Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), advocacy, and community consensus. Our homelands are not just spaces but living relatives, and we work to ensure that Indigenous perspectives—including both federally and non-federally recognized tribal communities—are included and respected in policy, land-use decisions, and environmental protections.

STAC - Naa-yvlh-te
Purpose & Values:

• Stewardship – Upholding Indigenous responsibilities to care for, watch over, and protect the land, waters, and all living beings for future generations.

• Traditional Ecological Knowledge – Elevating Indigenous ways of knowing, history, and ecological practices and science as central to decision-making.

• Advocacy – Ensuring Indigenous rights, cultural sovereignty, and environmental justice are prioritized in governance, policy, and community planning.

• Circle – Centering community-based decision-making, fostering intertribal unity, and creating a space where Indigenous members with ancestral ties to the region can actively shape the future of thier homelands.

Through direct action, policy engagement, and land stewardship, STAC – Naa-yvlh-te works to safeguard Indigenous sovereignty, challenge harmful development, and uphold the resilience of our shared homelands. Our primary focus is on protecting Curry County and the surrounding lands and waters of southwestern Oregon, with outreach and advocacy extending beyond these borders to support Native-led environmental and policy initiatives in the broader region.

STAC - Naa-yvlh-te Focus Areas:

• Alternative Energy & Land Use Decisions: Ensuring that tribal sovereignty, environmental protections, and community interests are central to development and policy discussions.

• Ensure Transparency in Decision-Making – Holding governments, agencies, and corporations responsible for ethical and equitable decision-making.

• Promote Indigenous-Led Environmental Stewardship – Protecting lands, waters, and shared homelands through culturally informed practices.

• Ethical Resource Extraction – Advocating against exploitative resource extraction and unsustainable development.

• Data Sovereignty & Climate Resilience – Promoting Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Science (TEKS) to inform climate policy and strengthen community resilience.

• Inclusion of Indigenous Members with Ties to the Area’s Homelands – Honoring and amplifying the voices of Indigenous people with ancestral, cultural, and historical ties to the region, ensuring their perspectives are prioritized in advocacy and decision-making that impacts their homelands.