Date: Wednesday, October 21th from 12-1 pm (MDT)
Hosted by: O’Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West, University of Montana

Indigenous Americans continue to struggle to deal with the inequities -- created by the mostly white, male conservation establishment -- they have been subject to for generations.  These manifest themselves in many ways, but are most apparent in the failure of the conservation establishment to include Native Americans in decisions affecting the management of their natural resources, in the treatment of their native lands, in respecting their expertise and traditional ecological knowledge, and in providing them with opportunities to advance their knowledge and secure employment in the conservation field.  This discussion will focus on why the conservation establishment continues to fail to adequately engage with  Indigenous Americans seeking to manage their native lands and associated landscapes in the ecosystems they have occupied for generations.  Most importantly, panelists will discuss ways to address current conservation challenges such as racism, sexism and longstanding practices of exclusion of BIPOC while addressing climate change, co-existence, and the loss of biodiversity so that all Americans can benefit from the knowledge and expertise that Indigenous Americans have to offer in helping to guide the conservation of our natural resources for generations to come.

Panelists:

Rosalyn La Pier, University of Montana -- Rosalyn La Pier is an award-winning Indigenous writer, ethnobotanist, and environmental activist with a BA in physics and a PhD in environmental history. She works to strengthen traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and revitalize Indigenous languages within Indigenous communities.  Dr. La Pier is an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Tribe of Montana and Métis and the only enrolled Blackfeet tribal member to receive tenure at the University of Montana.   The American Council of Learned Societies named Rosalyn a 2020 Fellow in its program on religion, journalism, and international affairs.  She has written extensively about Indigenous knowledge and environmental activism in Indigenous communities, including several articles about the Standing Rock protests of the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota.

Robin Saha, University of Montana -- Robin Saha is an associate professor of Environmental Studies and Climate Change Studies at the University of Montana. He has an M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources & the Environment (now the School for Environment and Sustainability, SEAS). Professor Saha is a leading environmental justice (EJ) scholar-activist and co-author of Toxic Wastes and Race and Twenty, a follow-up to a landmark report Toxic Wastes and Race in the United States, which helped launch the EJ movement. He is also nationally-recognized for his community-engaged teaching, research and service, including using community-based participatory research and collaborating with tribes and rural communities in Montana on environmental and climate justice issues. He also conducts technical reviews for environmental advocacy organizations, the US Environmental Protection Agency, and tribes in the U.S, most recently with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe regarding the environmental review for the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Chad Bishop, University of Montana -- Chad Bishop is Director of the Wildlife Biology Program and Associate Professor in the Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences at University of Montana.  As director, Dr. Bishop is responsible for a wide array of functions tied to running the Program, with an emphasis on faculty and student support and Program outreach and development.  He also teaches courses and is conducting multiple ungulate research projects.  Prior to the University of Montana, he spent nearly 16 years working for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, initially as a researcher and later as an administrator.  He received his B.S. degree from Montana State University, M.S. from University of Idaho, and Ph.D. from Colorado State University. 

Moderator: 

Jim Lyons, former DOI Deputy Assistant Secretary, Lands and Minerals Management -- Jim Lyons has been a professor and lecturer at the Yale School of the Environment (formerly the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies) and the University of Montana.   Under President Clinton, Jim was USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment working with the Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.  In the Obama administration, he was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Lands and Minerals Management in the Interior Department and helped lead the effort to protect the Greater sage grouse.  He is currently a consultant focused on landscape conservation, natural resource management, and climate change strategies.