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 perspectives 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, professional facilitator, researcher, and community member from Denver, Colorado. I provide culturally-responsive consultations aimed at strengthening Tribal and Indigenous-led land and wildlife stewardship across the United States. My work currently focuses in the Western United States, however I have collaborated with numerous Indigenous communities and collectives in the environmental sector 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 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 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 research, please check out my curriculum vitae / CV and Google Scholar site.
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-led conservation, Tribal-State collaboration in natural resources, Pathways and Barriers to Land and Wildlife Rematriation, Understanding the Colonial History of Mainstream Conservation, as well as nonprofit strategic planning & fundraising.
Consult & advise on conservation and development projects that impact American Indian and Alaska Native communities (of Federally-recognized Tribes) and Indigenous communities more broadly (i.e. within Central & South America, and relationally-recognized Tribes within and outside the U.S.).
And more!
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 frameworks for non-Tribal environmental organizations seeking to improve Tribal and Indigenous collaboration 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.
And more! Please check out my Portfolio.
Collectively, Gem and her clients help build pathways in support of Tribal and Indigenous-led efforts in conservation, ancestral lands protection, and rematriation. Mending Mountains Collective is excited to share some of our recent accomplishments. Check out our News.
