Don Hankins

Don Hankins is a Professor in the Department of Geography and Planning at California State University, Chico and Field Director for the California State University Chico Ecological Reserves. His areas of expertise are pyrogeography, water resources, and conservation. Combining his academic and cultural knowledge as a Miwko? traditional cultural practitioner, he is particularly interested in the application of Indigenous land stewardship practices as a keystone process to aid in conservation and stewardship. He is currently engaged in wildland fire research with an emphasis on landscape scale, prescribed and cultural burns; ecocultural restoration approaches to place; and policy. Don has been involved in various aspects of land stewardship and conservation for a variety of organizations and agencies including federal and Indigenous entities in North America and Australia. He is internationally recognized for his work on Indigenous fire. He serves as an advisor to the Indigenous Peoples Burning Network and is co-lead to the Indigenous Stewardship Network.