Bring Fruit Trees to Native American Reservations

Spring is nearly upon us and we are gearing up for our next round of Trees for Tribes projects! This year, we will be working with the Bay Mills Indian Community in northern Michigan to plant community orchards on tribal lands in order to support their work towards food sovereignty and improved tribal member nutrition.

The Bay Mills Indian Community leadership applied directly to FTPF after learning about our other programs in the area with the White Earth Nation and Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe. In their application, they told us why they want to plant fruit trees on their lands:

"The Bay Mills Indian Community is a rural Native American community that is currently experiencing astronomical levels of obesity and chronic diseases, with 54% of the adult population currently being categorized as obese/overweight, as compared to the Michigan average of 31%. If given the opportunity to plant an orchard, the community will derive significant benefits related to increased access to wholesome, nutrient-dense foods, while also increasing knowledge of new planting techniques that they can duplicate at home to supplement their diets."

Thank you for your ongoing support of Trees for Tribes - with your help, FTPF will continue this work to support indigenous peoples' right to healthy, sustainable, locally-grown food!