MY PHILOSOPHY
I do this “heart work” for the land, the animals, the birds, and for my own community as displaced Indigenous peoples from the Southern Rocky Mountain Region. I believe that trustworthy relationships and mutual respect are the cornerstones to any successful collaboration. With courage and reverence for life, we can uncover the root of social and environmental issues from the perspective of the people facing these problems head-on. We can work together towards a more just, equitable, and expansive understanding of land and wildlife stewardship in the West that includes the perspectives, active decision-making, and lived experiences of Native and Indigenous Peoples, as well as other historically marginalized communities. If not now, when? If not us, who?
ABOUT ME
I am an independent consultant, researcher, and community member from Denver, Colorado. I provide culturally-responsive consultations aimed at strengthening Indigenous and Native-led land and wildlife stewardship in what is now known as the “American West.” My work currently focuses in the Western United States, however I have collaborated with numerous Indigenous communities and associations in the climate justice movement across the Southwest, Mexico, and Central & South America.
As a consultant, I work with nonprofits, research institutions, and governments to improve relationships and collaboration between Native & Indigenous Peoples and natural resource and conservation groups in the West. This region has become the site of the United States’ most famous national parks and public lands, however their creation was at the expense of numerous Native Nations & Peoples who continue to fight systemic historical erasure and seek reconnection to their homelands. Tribes are and have always been leaders in fish, wildlife, and land stewardship and it is my goal to help reduce the structural, political, and cultural barriers that keep Indigenous and Native communities from maintaining relationships with their lands, wildlife, and waterways.
My doctoral research at Colorado State University in the Human Dimensions of Natural Resources Department focuses on Indigenous-led land stewardship efforts on public lands in the American West, including land returns, co-management, wildlife reintroductions, and more. Before starting my PhD in 2020, I earned my M.S. in Natural Resources & the Environment at Cornell University in 2016, and my B.S. in Zoology at Colorado State University in 2012. To learn more about my work, please check out my curriculum vitae / CV.
What do I do?
Facilitate truth & reconciliation efforts on public lands, including advising on the development of Indigenous-led land stewardship projects on city, county, state & federal lands.
Deliver culturally-responsive workshops, plenaries, and guest lectures on the topics of Indigenous environmental justice, community-led conservation, Indigenous research methodologies, and nonprofit strategic planning & fundraising.
Consult & advise on conservation and development projects that impact American Indian, Alaska Native, and other Indigenous communities (i.e. within Central & South America, and other non federally-recognized groups within and outside the U.S.)
Current Projects:
Facilitation of convenings, partnerships, and nonprofit strategic planning meetings for InterTribal and non-Tribal organizations, collectives, and coalitions.
Coaching nonprofit staff working at Native-led nonprofits in the areas of sustainable fundraising, program development and M&E.
Building toolkits for non-Tribal environmental organizations seeking to improve Tribal and Indigenous engagement in conservation, recreation, and climate.
Training for graduate students and researchers in the areas of community engagement, proposal and project development, grant writing & research, participatory research methodologies, and Indigenous sciences and research methodologies.
