Full information and registration can be found on the conference websitebal
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New Video: Oshkigin: Spirit of Fire
For thousands of years in the Great Lakes Region, Native Americans used fire intentionally to manage the ecosystems they lived in. Now there is a short film, Oshkigin: Spirit of Fire highlighting this deep, reciprocal relationship with the land and the role fire plays in that relationship. This story is told by Ojibwe Wildland firefighters, Fond du Lac elder Vern Northrup and Damon Panek. For more information, please visit: https://minnesotafac.org
Continue ReadingJob: Cultural Burning/Fire Program Manager, Amah Mutsun Land Trust
The Cultural Burning/Fire Program Manager will be responsible for identifying appropriate locations to conduct
cultural burn activities based on ethno-botanical and cultural archeological research, preparing burn plans,
securing appropriate permits and approvals, and conducting the burns in conjunction with AMLT’s Native
Stewardship Corps (NSC) and other Tribal members. This position is also responsible for getting Native
Stewardship Corps members trained and certified in all aspects of firefighting and identifying and securing the
necessary equipment for the NSC to become an independent, fire-lighting/firefighting team. Lastly, this position
will be responsible for developing expertise in post-fire recovery planning and implementation in collaboration
with AMLT’s Native Plant Restoration and Native Stewardship Corps Program Managers.
Read the full position description and application instructions here.
Continue ReadingBIA Funding Announcement: Tribal Organization Support for Tribal Climate Resilience Liaisons
The BIA Tribal Climate Resilience Program is pleased to announce the availability of funding to support the hiring of Tribal Climate Resilience Liaisons in the North Central, Midwest and Northeast/Southeast regions of the DOI Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASCs) through the BIA’s Tribal Resilience Program (Program). Eligible applicants include tribal non-profit, non-governmental organizations and tribally-controlled colleges or universities (TCUs) that serve federally-recognized tribes. Other entities may participate as sub-grantees. The solicitation is available on grants.gov, and named TCRP-16241: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=336222
The BIA is collaborating with the Department of Interior (DOI) Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASCs) to continue supporting tribal climate resilience needs and selected tribal organizations will enter into cooperative agreements with the BIA. This provides a mechanism for the BIA to provide the selected Tribal organizations with non-recurring funding for mutually agreed upon tasks in keeping with the climate science needs of the BIA and all tribal communities in the North Central, Midwest, and Northeast/Southeast CASC regions (learn more and see map of DOI CASCs here: https://www.usgs.gov/ecosystems/climate-adaptation-science-centers). Applications are due December 17, 2021.
Continue ReadingTribal Climate Listening Sessions
The Department of the Interior (DOI) is pleased to announce three upcoming virtual listening sessions focused on climate change and Tribal Nations. The Department would like to ensure that the efforts and initiatives it develops to meet these priorities are shaped and designed based on feedback and information from across Indian Country and Alaska Native Villages. These listening sessions will inform DOI-wide and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)-led efforts.
More information and session dates and times can be found here.
Continue ReadingResearch with Tribes: A Suggested Framework for the Co-production of Knowledge
The 2021 Frederick and Joan Barkalow Distinguished Conservationist Lecture will feature Dr. Caleb Hickman, Supervisory Biologist for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. He will present, “Research with Tribes: A Suggested Framework for the Co-production of Knowledge.”
Born and raised in Oklahoma, Hickman is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, one of the three federally recognized tribes of Cherokee descent. After leaving Oklahoma, he received his bachelor’s degree in biology from Missouri Valley College, masters at Missouri State University and Ph.D. in Zoology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Hickman has authored and co-authored many publications at the edge of ecology and social science. He has also worked with a variety of species across various ecosystems before finding his dream job as the Supervisory Biologist for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Currently, with a small team, Hickman works to study and conserve a variety of game and non-game fish and wildlife species and their habitats within the Cherokee homeland. He uses a combination of science-based management coupled with a socio-ecological perspective with an eye toward preserving traditional knowledge for the tribe. Hickman enjoys hunting, fishing, and hiking in the mountains, reading Cherokee history, and participating in Cherokee cultural events, including, when he is able, the traditional stickball game. He is married with two wonderful sons.
Partner Webinar: Giving Voice to Cultural Safety of Indigenous Wildland Firefighters in Canada
For decades, Indigenous firefighters and fire operations staff have been engaged in wildland fire suppression activities, formally and informally. Little is known or understood about the experiences of Indigenous wildland firefighting personnel. To address this deficit, we developed an online survey and virtual circles were conducted specifically for individuals who self-identified as Indigenous and worked in wildland firefighting and/or fire operations for at least one fire season in Canada
Continue ReadingForest Service Research: Federal-Tribal Partnerships for Wildland Fire & Longleaf Pine Woodland Encroachment
The USDA Forest has released two publications related to wildland fire research and management:
Indigenous fire stewardship: Federal/Tribal partnerships for wildland fire research and management
Seed Size & Predation: Longleaf Pine Woodlands and Encroaching Species
Continue ReadingPartner Webinar: ITEP’s Status of Tribes & Climate Change (STACC) Report
Join us for the first webinar of a series which will focus on the Status of Tribes and Climate Change (STACC) report, a new report written by a working group and convened by the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) Tribes & Climate Change Program. STACC seeks to uplift and honor the voices of Indigenous peoples across the U.S. to increase understanding of Tribal lifeways, cultures, and worldviews; the climate change impacts Tribes are experiencing; the solutions they are implementing; and ways that all of us can support Tribes in adapting to our changing world. Over 90 authors from different entities including the authors of 34 personal Tribal narratives contributed to the publication of the first STACC Report. It was written for diverse audiences including Tribal managers, leaders, and community members; the authors of future National Climate Assessments; federal and state agencies and decision makers; and non-governmental organizations. This first webinar will focus on introducing the Report and will give you a chance to hear from key authors of the Report.
We are pleased that our following relatives and colleagues will join us.
1) Ann Marie Chischilly, Esq., ITEP Director and Interim Vice President of the Office of Native American Affairs (ONAI) at Northern Arizona University
2) Dara Marks-Marino, WattTime, Environmental Justice Analyst, former ITEP team member and STACC Report Lead
3) Kyle Whyte, PhD – Professor of Environment & Sustainability & George Willis Pack Professor – University of Michigan and STACC Report Lead Author
4) Rachael Novak, BIA Tribal Resilience Coordinator, BIA Tribal Climate Resilience Program (invited)
5) Coral Avery, Natural Resource Specialist-BIA Tribal Climate Resilience Program and Tribal Youth & Climate Liaison, NW Climate Adaptation Science Center
Continue ReadingPartner Webinar: Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians collaborative research and management of culturally important forest products
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), the USDA Forest Service, and other collaborators are creating an integrated platform to improve access, sustainable harvesting and ecological conditions for culturally important plants. The effort seeks to plan and implement forest management policies and activities that support Cherokee arts, diets, and practices while at the same time promoting integrated forest stewardship over a larger landscape. Activities are centered in western North Carolina and portions of adjacent states, including the Qualla Boundary (EBCI tribal lands); the Pisgah, Nantahala, and Cherokee National Forests; and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We discuss efforts to date, bringing together traditional knowledge, western scientific research, community engagement and cross-boundary relationship building.
This is the fourth webinar in a 7-part series focused on tribal land management that encompasses a wide array of topics and includes speakers from across the nation. The goal of this webinar series is to inform forestry and natural resource professionals of the full scope of land management approaches used by Native Americans across the country. In addition, information from this series will provide the audience a better understanding of some of the complex history and policy challenges that also influence tribal land management.
Registration is not required.
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