From November 2022 – July 2024, Strategic Earth supported the Tribal Council and Administrative Staff of the Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria in developing a strategic plan for the Tribe’s new Tribal Harbor District, which they have owned and operated since 2001. In May 2024, Trinidad Rancheria completed the fee-to-trust process, formally giving them rights to the land they were developing a vision for through this process. Ultimately, the Tribe strived to develop a robust harbor rooted in their sovereignty that locals and visitors could enjoy.
During the initial phase, the Strategic Earth team conducted targeted conversations with Harbor Masters and West Coast harbor districts working closely with Indigenous communities and used Appreciative Inquiry techniques to learn about their goals, operations, priorities, and challenges. We also conducted a site visit to spend time with staff, learn more about the harbor’s businesses, and dream together of a future they wanted and could be proud of, enabling them to create trusted and cherished relationships among themselves.
To create the strategic plan (spanning 2023-2027), Strategic Earth coordinated five virtual planning sessions to explore key issues and priorities involving sovereignty and self-governance, natural and cultural resources, economic growth, and community well-being. Over the course of this project, ongoing collaborations with other Tribes and the city of Trinidad informed this process and the Tribe began overhauling their website with support from Sea & Shore Solutions.
Strategic Earth has worked with the Tribe for several years and we are lucky to consider them close friends and colleagues. With the strategic plan in place, we have hopefully helped Trinidad Rancheria lay the foundation for a vibrant and thriving Tribal Harbor District that honors traditional lifeways and healthy marine ecosystems, brings economic prosperity to their community, improves their quality of life, and upholds their Tribal sovereignty.
Learn more about this entire project online by reading our Trinidad Rancheria client case study here.
Blog post written by Priya Shukla