The First, Best Stewards: Aboriginal Fire and The Klamath Siskiyous
The peoples native to southern Oregon and northern California have been using fire as an ecological caretaking tool since time immemorial. This panel will explore topics including the cultural landscape of the Klamath-Siskiyou ecoregion, fire ecology, indigenous stewardship practices, colonialism and its impact on the land and people, and climate change impacts. Learn how Native American tribes and tribal communities are leading landscape-scale ecological restoration partnerships in the region and incorporating traditional knowledge and ecocultural practices into restoration forestry work that sets the stage for carefully applied, controlled fire.
Panelists:
Dan Wahpepah, Founder/Co-Director, Red Earth Descendants, Aanishinaabe Kiikaapoa – Meskwaki
Margo Robbins, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Cultural Fire Management Council, Yurok Tribe
Elizabeth Azzuz, Board of Directors Secretary, Cultural Fire Management Council, Yurok Tribe
Richard F. O’Rourke III, Fire Coordinator for the Cultural Fire Management Council, Yurok Tribe
Doug Bird, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Dept. of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University
Moderator:
Belinda Brown, Tribal Partnership Manager, Lomakatsi, Kosealekte Band -Ajumawi-Atsuge Nation (Pit River Tribe)
This panel is sponsored by Lomakatsi Restoration Project’s Tribal Partnerships Program and KS Wild.
