In an effort to promote Indigenous Knowledge within the National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) system, HIMB and the Heʻeia NERR hosted an exchange of Western Region NERR colleagues from Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and Lake Superior, along with some of their Indigenous partners. Indigenous Peoples represented (Kānaka ʻŌiwi; Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe; Samish Indian Nation; Coquille Indian Tribe; Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians; Chugach Regional Resources Commission; and Northwest Indian College) making this the largest gathering of Indigenous leaders ever hosted in the history of the NERR. This intergenerational gathering included Indigenous community leaders, elders, and chosen youth, as well as administrators and land/water stewards from the Western NERRs. This gathering was funded by a National Science Collaborative Grant, “Integrating Indigenous Knowledge and NERR Science and Monitoring to Improve Estuarine Stewardship and Management.” In collaboration with Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venue, we explored the ways in which we can work to decolonize and indigenize conservation science. Please see the article published by NERRA below.
