A Quest to Build Capacity for Science-based Restoration within a Tribal Community

My story will recount a twenty year journey to build capacity in a tribal community to heal lands and waters using science and traditional knowledge. This long-term perspective will help to consider community-level outcomes... [ view full abstract ]

My story will recount a twenty year journey to build capacity in a tribal community to heal lands and waters using science and traditional knowledge. This long-term perspective will help to consider community-level outcomes and the advantages of investing in institutions or individuals. Over twenty years ago, the White Mountain Apache Tribe hired me as a planner to help restore culturally and ecologically important waters that had been damaged. Ten years ago, a School Board President and I launched a summer program for high school and college students to engage in this work in her community that had been hit hard by a major wildfire. In addition to working with the Tribal government and the school, I have worked through university programs and with many individual community members as students or staff. The presentation will include photos, video clips, and quotations that reveal how the people and places involved have evolved over this period and been influenced by our efforts. The elements of fire and water maintain a dynamic social-ecological landscape marked by dramatic periods of loss and recovery. The story will reflect on our outcomes and which strategies have appeared particularly helpful. Our successes include on-the-ground restoration, graduations and jobs for participants, a wealth of data, and publications. Our struggles include students who did not complete academic programs and the need to develop robust data management systems so that future generations can more easily build upon our work. In addition, it has been a personal challenge to keep these interactions going while living far from the community. After revealing some new strategies that we have planned, I will close by inviting discussion among others who have engaged in similar quests.