Stewardship of the Lands is the Choctaw Way

Yakni Aiimvlhtaha yvt Chahta Im Atia

Published March 23, 2026

By Chief Gary Batton

This past month, the Choctaw Nation signed a partnership agreement with the Natural Resources Conservation Service to establish a Tribal Conservation District for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

This agreement lays the foundation for protecting, restoring, and maintaining our tribal lands and natural resources for generations to come. It strengthens our government-to-government relations and creates greater opportunities for coordination between tribal leadership, natural resource managers, NRCS, and other USDA programs. It is a big win for the tribe and helps us protect the lands that our ancestors farmed and hunted on to sustain the tribe while also reinforcing our sovereignty.

This agreement is just the latest example of the Choctaw Nation’s focus on establishing programs to maintain and improve our reservation as we remain good stewards of our lands.

For instance, our Choctaw Land Management Program assists tribal landowners with conservation practices, workshops that identify financial assistance, cost-share programs, and education. Contact the Land Management Office for more information on how to apply.

Hunting and Fishing on the Reservation

Choctaw tribal members may hunt and fish within the Choctaw Nation reservation and participate in tribe’s reservations under the Wildlife Reciprocity Agreement using their tribal membership card.

Inter-Tribal Council announced the “Wildlife Management Reciprocity Agreement” on July 11, 2024; it enables tribal members with licenses issued through their tribe the ability to hunt and fish on each of the participating tribes’ reservations.

If you receive a ticket from an Oklahoma game warden for not having a state issued hunting/fishing license while hunting within the Choctaw Nation boundaries, contact the Choctaw Nation Legal Department as soon as possible via the Member Legal Assistance webpage.

For more information on hunting and fishing on the reservation, visit the Hunting and Fishing service page. Tribal members must report harvest of game via the Chahta Achvffa member portal.

Additional programs that impact our land and conservation focus include:

Choctaw Ranches; The Tribal Conservation District; Wildlife Conservation Report; Water Resource Management; Water Policy and Planning; Sustainable Communities; Research and Data Acquisition; Watershed Management; Surface Mining; Environmental Protection Service.

For more information on all these programs mentioned above and many more helpful tips for Choctaw landowners and tribal members, please check out choctawnation.com. You can also give us a call at 1-800-522-6170 and we will get you connected to the right department for your needs.

As you can see, the Choctaw Nation has many programs and services specifically designed for stewardship of the lands. These are the lands our ancestors worked and prospered in. It is important that we protect the legacy of our tribe so that we can strive and develop for generations to come.

Yakoke and God Bless!

Hvshi ant ia kash, Chahta Okla yvt Natural Resources Conservation Service a ittauaya anumpa vlhpisa iba holissochi tuk. Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma ya Tribal Conservation District i hilechi.

Anumpa vlhpisa ilvppvt hvpim okla i yakni micha aianukcheto aiimoma ya atukkochi, falvmmichi, micha imatahla chi ka aiisht awechi i bohli. Hvpim apehlicheka ibatakla ittvhoba hlampkochi micha okla pehlichi, aianukcheto aiimoma apesvchi, NRCS, anonti USDA aiahni inla ittitakla ya ibawichi aivlhpiesa im ikbi. Okla im aiahli cha yakni hvpi hattak tikba yvt osapa atoksvlit ai owvtta tok a, atukkochi hvpi apela.

Hvpi yakni apesvchi hvpia kvt hvpi yakni ilatomba ya im atahlit il achukma la chi ka aiahni apesa akosh Chahta Okla im iklvnna.

Choctaw Land Management Program vt okla yakni ishi ya atukko hobachit miha, tvli holisso imma iksa, ivlli-kvshkoli aiahni, micha nan ikhvna ya isht apelvchi. Land Management Office hvsh haklochi cha vnnoa i shahli ishi.

Yakni Ilatomba Aiowvtta micha Nvni Aiokweli

Chahta okla ibafoka vhleha yvt Chahta Okla i yakni ilatomba anukaka ya owvttvt nvn okwehla hinla. Hvpim okla ibafoka vhleha yvt im ibafoka i holisso kvllo okla eshi hosh okla inla i yakni ilatomba apehvcha hinla ka Wildlife Reciprocity Agreement vt imissa.

Kvfi Hvshi nittak awah achvffa, tahlepa sipokni tuklo, pokoli tuklo akucha ushta yash, Intertribal Council vt Wildlife Management Reciprocity Agreement a miha tuk. Okla ibafoka yvt im okla ya im vlhpisa ai eshi cha okla ibafoka aiyuka i yakni ilatomba ya aiowvtta micha nvni aiokwehli im atahli.

Chahta i yakni vhli anukaka ish owvtta ho, Oklahoma nam poa apistikeli yvt holisso hlilafa chima hokma, Choctaw Nation Legal Department a chekusi ish haklochi pulla.

Hunting and Fishing webpage hvsh onak mvt nan vnnoa i shahli hvsh isha hinla. Okla ibafoka yvt Chahta Achvffa ibafoka achukkoa hlopulli hosh nam poa hoyo tukvt anoli pulla.

Aiahni vlhchakaya hvpi yakni micha atukko iklvnnvchi kvt ilvppa aieninchi:

Chahta yakni ishi micha okla ibafoka yvt choctawnation.com ona cha aiahni vnnoa kash moma ka vnnoa i shahli isha hinla. 1-800-522-6170 hvsh paya na a chi bvnna ya kashkoa vlhpesa e chim ahocha chi.

Chahta Okla yvt aiahni micha i toksvli lawa ka yakni aiimvlhtaha ya fehnachit ikbit im ishi. Yakni ilvppa hvpi hattak tikba yvt atoksvlit aiahli tok. Hvpim okla ima ya il atukkochi cha achunanchit e mahaya na unchululi lawa hinla kvt nana fehna.

Yakoke anonti Chihowa hvt hvchi holitoblashke!