To celebrate Native American Heritage Month, the UC ANR Native American Community Partnerships program team organized three educational events. If you missed any of them, you can watch the recordings. 

On Nov. 6, Regent Greg Sarris shared his journey to becoming chairman of the Federated Indians of the Graton Rancheria in an inspiring narrative of how stories bridge cultures and uplift Native communities. Lorelle WB Ross, UC ANR Native American Advisory Council member, moderated the session. Watch the recording at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vsvZM5Idhk. 

On Nov. 18, MK Youngblood gave a presentation on how tribes prepare for emergencies within the framework of sovereignty, cultural protocols and traditional ecological knowledge. Youngblood has over 30 years of public service and first responder experience with a core proficiency in Indian law, Indian culture, and disaster cleanup. He is also certified by the Department of Energy, the Emergency Management Institute, and the Center for Domestic Preparedness to provide instruction. Watch Youngblood’s presentation at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HForFUG6Gp4. 

At the Nov. 20 ANR town hall, Chris McDonald, UC Cooperative Extension inland and desert natural resources advisor and co-chair of UC ANR’s Native American Community Partnerships program team, and Matthew Barnes, area director for UCCE in Lake and Mendocino counties, gave presentations on the efforts to strengthen UC ANR’s relationships and extension programming with California Native American communities. Barnes discussed the historic agreement with the Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California to create the first-ever UC Cooperative Extension Tribal Extension Office.

They also noted that UCCE has expanded its capacity to serve Native American communities by hiring Ally Sung-Jereczek, beneficial burning and land stewardship advisor for Lake and Mendocino counties; Bob Woodke, indigenous disaster resilience advisor for Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado and Tuolumne counties; and Marisela Chávez, indigenous food systems and food sovereignty advisor for San Diego and Riverside counties. The town hall recording will be posted at https://ucanr.edu/site/anr-employees/ucanrtownhall. 

Thank you to the speakers and the Native American Community Partnerships program team for organizing these learning opportunities.