Tr’uu-luu-k’wvt is an active traditional cultural landscape located in the ancestral waters of the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation, and is significant to the Tolowa Dee-ni’ for cultural and subsistence practices. The Tolowa Dee-ni’ use the area to establish annual camps for harvesting lhvmsr (surf smelt), a tradition they have continued for more than 169 years, undeterred by colonialism. These camps are hubs for intergenerational knowledge transmission of subsistence practices, culinary techniques (fishing, drying, cooking, preserving), physical and spiritual wellness, and for reaffirming connections to the land. Lhvmsr populations have been in decline and as such, they have been the focus of research for the Tolowa Dee-Ni’ Nation.

The Tolowa Dee-ni’ genesis account provides protocols for being active Indigenous stewards, perpetuating the community as an integral part of a balanced ecosystem. Today, conservation efforts are based on this genesis and interpreted according to traditional laws. Preservation of cultural traditions and resource stewardship is accomplished through partnerships with Indigenous communities, educational institutions, Federal, State and local agencies. Since genesis, Tolowa Dee-ni’ have been an integral part of the ecosystem. The diverse marine ecosystem provides a variety of foods and materials central to the existence of the Tolowa Dee-ni’. Fishing, hunting, trapping, gathering and other forms of harvesting are critical to the subsistence, cultural and religious existence of the Tolowa Dee-ni’.