Shelly Covert stands on the Deer Creek Tribute Trail, near where in 2018 the California Heritage: Indigenous Research Project acquired 32 acres of land. Covert is the spokesperson for the Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan Tribe and executive director of CHIRP. (Photo by Kial James) Fighting for Recognition Back Q&A May 6, 2021 By Sena Christian Shelly Covert proudly identifies as Nisenan, an Indigenous tribe whose ancestral lands are situated in the Yuba River and American River watersheds in what is now Nevada County. Her identity also ties directly into her day job as spokesperson for the Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan Tribe and executive director of the