Deschutes Land Trust conserves and cares for lands that are and continue to be the traditional lands of Native Americans in our region. Since time immemorial, Native Americans, including the Warm Springs, Wasco, and Paiute tribes, lived in this region or visited it to hunt, fish, gather foods, and trade. Deschutes Land Trust protected lands are within the lands ceded to the United States in the Treaty with the Tribes of Middle Oregon in 1855.

The bands that signed the 1855 Treaty moved onto the Warm Springs Reservation and are known as the Wasco and Warm Springs tribes. Paiute people began settling on the Warm Springs Reservation in 1879 and, along with the Wasco and Warm Springs tribes, now comprise the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon. The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, by virtue of the Treaty of 1855, have legal rights to harvest and manage wildlife and, by implication, the right to habitats suitable to support wildlife populations.

The Land Trust considers the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs an important partner in management and restoration of our protected lands. These tribal communities are the original stewards of the land, helping care for and connect with the land since time immemorial. We invite you to learn more about our local Native American communities via the links below. In addition, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs are currently experiencing a major water crisis. Please consider donating to the Chúush Fund: Water for Warm Springs to help restore access and infrastructure for clean water. Water is life.

Learn more:

• About the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.
• About the Museum at Warm Springs.
• Read the OSU-Cascades 2019 commencement address given by Alyssa Macy, who was Chief Operating Officer of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs at the time.
• The history of Oregon Tribes in the Contemporary Era.
• About other Oregon Tribes from the State Library of Oregon.
• About Indigenous land acknowledgements.