Restoration of tribal resources: Community and scientific partnerships

This presentation will focus on an established ecological research partnership with a Tribal community in Northern Arizona that began in 1996 when the Kaibab Paiute Tribal Council initiated a long term ecological restoration initiative with researchers and students from Northern Arizona University. The project was undertaken with the understanding that Tribal protocols regarding traditional beliefs, customs and practices would be incorporated into all aspects of the ecological research activities.

Tribal leaders and community members are direct participants in all aspects of our research efforts, from identification of need through planning, data collection, analysis and reporting. Sharing of this information is at the discretion of the Tribe. Traditional cultural knowledge and scientific analysis are interconnected in this innovative research project. Undergraduate Native American students work with tribal leaders, community members and elders to explore important interrelationships between traditional cultural values and contemporary science. Areas of research to date include: a) native vegetation response to fire, b) mule deer population biology, c) reproduction and seasonal movements of bats and d) distribution of bird species. Guidelines for conducting ecological research with tribal communities and reservation lands also emerged from the partnership. These guidelines will be presented as a way that works to accomplish mutually beneficial and expanded outcomes when working with the original Nations of the Americas’.