Principal Investigator
Marcella Windmuller-Campione
Industry Partner
Steve Mortensen, Division of Resource Management Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
Problem
Climate change, biodiversity loss, maintaining resilient ecosystems are considered “wicked” issues that will require collaboration, co-learning, and co-development utilizing multiple ways of knowing. However, the process for navigating the hierarchies can be extremely opaque, limiting the potential collaboration. Additionally, if an individual or individuals within the collaboration leave, there can be a loss of knowledge on how to navigate the hierarchies and logistics.
Solution
We are proposing to use our newly formed collaboration that is working to build a summer internship experience center Tribal Youth to explore and document hierarchies and logistics within and across organizations and Tribal Nations. We will use a network analysis approach to document and visualize how top-down, bottom-up, and intermediate level pressures and opportunities can influence our collaboration. Additionally, we will document the hierarchical structures and logistical opportunities and challenges in working collaboratively.
Impact
There are 11 federally recognized Tribal Nations within what we now call the state of Minnesota. Tribes were, are, and will continue to be stewards of forest ecosystems. However, the number of individuals who identify as Native American are underrepresented within forestry, silviculture, and natural resource management. Collaborative opportunities exist across organizations and Tribal Nations to consider new ways of approaching natural resource education that centers Tribal Voices.