There are 566 federally-recognized Indian Tribes and more than 300 reservations or comparable lands in the United States. Tribes manage 95 million acres of lands which contain more than 18 million acres of forested lands, 997,000 acres of lakes, and 13,000 miles of rivers, and 525 federally listed plants and animals. A number of Tribes have been granted fishing, gathering, hunting, and water rights on these lands by treaties, executive orders and other legal instruments. Further, many Tribal economies and budgets depend on these lands for agriculture, forest products, and tourism. A concerted effort is needed to protect the numerous natural resources located upon Tribal lands and on lands with which Tribes share co-management responsibility with states and the federal government such as usual and accustomed places. The Tribal Environmental Policy Center pledges itself to participate in this effort.